Using The Story of my Crime as a Platform for Restorative Justice
Maxwell Melvins |
TEDxCUNY
• March 2018
A community overrun by poverty, unemployment, drugs and violence were the realities of life for young Maxwell Melvins in Camden, New Jersey. Maxwell hit rock bottom when he was jailed in 1980. In jail, Maxwell joined the Lifer's Group, an organization that used its “scared straight” teaching method to help at-risk youth avoid behaviors that led to a life in prison. In the early 1990s, Maxwell developed a new Lifer's Group project, using hip-hop music as a platform for restorative justice, inmates put their personal stories of incarceration into the form of rap music. That music was used to deliver the Lifers Group message to at-risk youth. Melvins produced two albums and, against all odds, was nominated for a Grammy. Today, Maxwell continues his work as a community activist to address issues such as domestic abuse, juvenile justice, and mass incarceration. He writes for community magazines, participates in panel discussions and other public speaking engagements.