On June 3, 10, and 17, 2026 the Hinda Institute’s “Navigating the System” course empowers participants with practical knowledge and strategies for effective advocacy within the court system and behind prison walls.
Shanna Rifkin, who is General Counsel of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) will kick off the first of three weekly Zoom sessions, which begin on June 3, 2026 at 8PM EST. Shanna directs the Federal Compassionate Release Clearinghouse, oversees FAMM’s Supreme Court practice, and advocates for reform of federal sentencing and corrections law and policy before the United States Sentencing Commission, Congress, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Session 2 will cover advocacy in the federal system, both in and out of prison. And Session 3 is a dialogue about rebuilding your life post incarceration. Whether you are personally impacted or supporting someone who is, education and guidance can make a real difference. Other panelists include Paul Rothschild, a restorative justice practitioner with lived experience navigating the criminal legal system. Attorney David Grosky, who devotes his time and energy assisting prison inmates with their legal and administrative research, writing and filing needs. Nick Seidel, a paralegal contractor for the Enforcement Division of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). And Scott Pollack, who is currently serving a three-year-to-life parole term, yet has reinvented himself as a full-time courtwatcher with the Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice (ILARJ) whose goal is to help others walking a similar path as him, and to remake our justice system into one of care and accountability that truly serves the needs of all communities.
It will be an insightful course with panelists representing justice reform attorneys, justice impacted individuals and even an individual on the prosecution end. The course is free and FAC members are encouraged to join.
Read the full description and signup