Ismael Nazario
Transforming Criminal Justice
“My ambition comes from my first-hand experience and my understanding of how the system works.”
Ismael (he/him) is a criminal justice and prison reform advocate, currently working with The Fortune Society to support formerly incarcerated people transition back into society after their release.
When Ismael was a teenager, he was arrested for robbery and sent to Rikers Island where he spent 300 days in solitary confinement before he was ever convicted of a crime. His personal experience with the prison system motivated him to become a passionate advocate for young people and inspired to stand up for disenfranchised voices. Ismael has worked with numerous advocacy projects including Raise the Age campaign, Banning Solitary Confinement, and Rikers Reform. In 2015, he was recognized for his contributions and received the Peabody Award for Community Activism.
“This picture speaks volumes about a very big important day in my life, September 29, 2018 – which happened to be my 30th birthday and the day I was a speaker at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park. Chris Martin of Coldplay and John Legend plus 60,000 people sang me happy birthday. My two beautiful daughters always make me feel at home. They bring me so much joy, love, and comfort no matter what, and it’s always a breath of fresh air with them.”
Ismael delivering his TED Talk, “What I learned as a kid in jail.”
The Organization
Ismael focuses his work on numerous social justice and human rights injustices, not only to shed light on these issues, but also to encourage others to take action and become a part of the solution. In addition to his day-to-day work as a case manager for individuals through The Fortune Society, he is a tireless advocate for juvenile justice reform with organizations such as Performing Statistics. Performing Statistics works with incarcerated youth to become creative and civic leaders in their communities and directly affect laws and public policy decisions.
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