Criminal justice and foster care reform advocate Jarrett Harper is himself a survivor of the California foster care system and endured 20 years of mass incarceration. After experiencing unimaginable trauma and abuse, at 16, Jarrett took the life of his abuser to protect himself and his younger brother. A year later, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus ten years. Despite having no chance of release from prison, he found forgiveness and hope and transformed his own life by helping change the lives of other men in prisons who had the opportunity to get out. Jarrett regularly volunteers with Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services where he mentors foster youth involved in the criminal legal system. He is also the founder of Better Days, a youth advocacy organization. Harper shares his story in the hope of ending life sentences for children, developing better rehabilitation resources for those returning to society, and putting a stop to the foster care-to-prison pipeline.

After 20 years of creating and facilitating self-improvement programs for his peers, Jarrett’s sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown through the tireless work of a group of dedicated advocates. On June 18, 2019, he was released from prison by Governor Gavin Newsom. Shortly after his release, Jarrett became an ambassador for Represent Justice’s “Just Mercy” campaign and quickly became a sought-after speaker, booking engagements for Verizon, Google, YouTube, USC, Princeton, Human Rights Watch, and many more.