The Expertise of Lived Experience - 2025-11-04

Описание: This session will share examples of courts turning to community experts and their first-hand lived experiences to make the local justice system fairer and more equitable. We will detail three models of community engagement that uplift the voices of those most affected, including advisory boards, peer navigators, and community surveys.

Presenters:

Juan “Johnny” Saldana | Peer Navigator, Pioneer Human Services
Brooklyn native Thaddeus Canty transformed his life after years in the criminal justice system. While incarcerated, he pursued education through Bard Prison Initiative, earning an Associate’s in 2014 and later a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management (2017). He went on to complete a Master’s in Public Affairs and Administration at Metropolitan College of New York in 2020. Canty has served in youth mentoring, community outreach and alternatives to incarceration, and founded Mentors Against Drugs and Guns through Experience (M.A.D.G.E.). Today, he is project director of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, inspiring others to “embrace the struggle – without it, there is no progress.”

Sheila McCarthy, LMSW | Senior Program Manager, Center for Justice Innovation
Sheila E. McCarthy, LMSW, is a senior program manager for the Recovery and Reform Team at the Center for Justice Innovation. Ms. McCarthy worked for the New York State Unified Court System for over a decade within family court. Her career in the court system began as a coordinator for a program aimed at increasing accountability in intimate partner violence cases in Queens Family Court.

Thaddeus Canty | Project Director of Red Hook Community Justice Center
Brooklyn native Thaddeus Canty transformed his life after years in the criminal justice system. While incarcerated, he pursued education through Bard Prison Initiative, earning an Associate’s in 2014 and later a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management (2017). He went on to complete a Master’s in Public Affairs and Administration at Metropolitan College of New York in 2020. Canty has served in youth mentoring, community outreach and alternatives to incarceration, and founded Mentors Against Drugs and Guns through Experience (M.A.D.G.E.). Today, he is project director of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, inspiring others to “embrace the struggle – without it, there is no progress.”

Presented by the Provincial Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee on November 4, 2025.

https://hsjcc.on.ca/the-expertise-of-...