Zaki Smith Quoted in LaborPress – Next100
News Mention   Criminal Justice

Zaki Smith Quoted in LaborPress

LaborPress spoke to Next100 alumni policy entrepreneur Zaki Smith about the Clean Slate campaign to eliminate collateral consequences.

LaborPress’s Joe Maniscalco wrote on how organized labor is calling for immediate passage of New York State’s Clean Slate legislation, which would seal the conviction records of millions of New Yorkers. He interviewed Next100 alumni policy entrepreneur Zaki Smith about the impacts of the “perpetual punishment” the formerly incarcerated face. Zaki says:

“So, you may have thought that you received a two-year sentence, but you have actually received a life sentence. The opportunities that they expect you to come home to from prison — getting a job, maintaining employment, getting housing, be a productive citizen — those very things that are essential for you to be a productive citizen are being denied.”

 

Read the full LaborPress piece here.

About the Author

Portrait of Michael Zaki Smith, he has closely cut hair, and a short beard.
Michael “Zaki” Smith Criminal Justice

Michael “Zaki” Smith is an entrepreneur and activist with more than fifteen years of experience in youth empowerment and social justice. At Next100, his work focuses on dismantling the collateral consequences of incarceration, policies that have impacted him personally as a formerly incarcerated individual.

See more