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Missouri Justice Coalition

@mojusticeorg_

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Legislative Advocacy & Community Base-Building focused on the carceral & criminal legal systems in Missouri

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BTS 🎥 | @ksdknews Today in St. Louis
There’s a difference between getting someone on television and positioning them for the conversation they were meant to be part of. Yesterday, I watched ML Smith Founder @mojusticeorg_ sit down with @michellelitv to talk voting rights, justice, and the people directly impacted by policy.
Behind every interview is strategy, timing, preparation, trust and relationships. Then you get to stand behind the camera and watch it connect. And before we left, the door had already opened for ML to return.

That’s the goal.
Not just one booking.
Not just one segment.

But creating enough value that the media says, “Come back.”
That’s the work.

🎥 Visit KSDK.com to watch the full interview.

🔌📸🎥 PR|Media: @elizabethdoniellepr_agency

#KSDK #TodayInStLouis #MLSmith #MoJustice #MediaRelations by @mojusticeorg_

Why should we care about what happens on the inside?

Because we all know someone, and true community care starts long before the courtroom.

Instead of judging the surface, we have to look at the root.

From survival and mental health to systemic neglect, understanding the process changes how we approach community care.

@jadeharrellraregem with ML Smith of the Missouri Justice Coalition for an important conversation on humanity, compassion, and carceral impact.

Week of Carceral Impact challenges the narrative, addressing root causes, and centering the humanity of people impacted by the justice system in Missouri. by @mojusticeorg_

Congratulations to Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, organizers, advocates, and voters who have worked tirelessly to create the conditions for this moment. A blue wave doesn’t happen on its own. It is built through generations of organizing, resistance, solidarity, and collective action.

But a shift in political leadership is not the finish line. And the work in Missouri is far from over!!!

We must continue pushing for policies and systems that ensure the basic needs of all Missourians are met, inside and outside prison walls. That means access to healthcare, safe and stable housing, education, meaningful opportunities, dignity, and the resources people need to live and thrive.

Our work does not end at the ballot box. It continues in our communities, in our institutions, in our state legislature, and alongside the people most impacted by these systems.

We celebrate this moment, recognize the people who made it possible, and remain committed to the work ahead, ensuring those who’ve been systemically disenfranchised are fully re-enfranchised.

The work continues!

Learn more and stay connected with us at www.mojustice.org #mojusticecoalition by @mojusticeorg_

This Election Day, more than 41,000 Missourians have a reason to make their voices heard!

As of August 28, 2026, Missouri’s HB 1871 has restored voting eligibility to more than 41,000 people living in our communities while serving felony probation or parole. Previously, most people with felony convictions had to complete their entire sentence, including probation and parole, before regaining their right to vote.

This change reflects years of advocacy and the work of directly impacted people and organizations across Missouri, including Missouri Justice Coalition.

As ML Smith, Founder of Missouri Justice Coalition, shared with @thesentencingproject back in August,

‘As a formerly incarcerated person and representative of carceral systems-impacted people across Missouri, I resonate with the ‘othering’ that formerly incarcerated people experience in society. The re-infranchisement of thousands of returned community members sends a clear signal that we can rejoin our communities as productive citizens with a voice in our elections.’

ML and #MoJusticeCoalition have been instrumental voices in advancing voting rights for people impacted by incarceration, bringing the experiences and perspectives of directly impacted Missourians into conversations about policy, civic participation, and meaningful inclusion.

And as always, there is still work ahead.

Restoring voting rights is about more than casting a ballot. It is about belonging, representation, civic participation, and recognizing that people impacted by the criminal legal system are members of our communities whose voices matter.

And remember, voting is just one tool of voicing ourselves!

This Election Day, we recognize the progress made, the people who made it possible, and the continued work toward ensuring that every eligible Missourian has a voice in our democracy.

Learn more at our website via the links in our bio.

#mojusticecoalition #electionday #votingrights by @mojusticeorg_

A 23-year sentence should not become a 40-year sentence because the Missouri Department of Corrections miscalculates the time someone has already served.

Seems like a no-brainer, right?

Yet Deandre Pointer had to appeal his sentence and return to court before the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals ruled in his favor. The court found that the Department of Corrections improperly calculated his sentence credits following resentencing. Despite orders for his sentences to run concurrently, the department pushed his projected release date from 2024 to 2044. A 20-year miscalculation.

Cases like this show how difficult sentencing practices and laws can be to understand. Rules governing sentence credits, concurrent and consecutive sentences, and release eligibility are often overly complicated. For incarcerated people and their families, errors can have life-changing consequences.

Missouri has also recently enacted additional sentencing measures, adding complexity to an already difficult system. As these laws expand, transparency in how sentences are imposed, calculated, and served becomes even more important.

People should not have to spend additional years incarcerated fighting government agencies to enforce their legal rights.

Missouri must move away from increasingly complex and punitive sentencing practices toward human dignity, fairness, and decarceration. Accountability means challenging practices that keep people incarcerated beyond their sentences, expanding pathways home, and recognizing that justice cannot be measured by time behind bars.

#MOJusticeCoalition #SentencingReform #DueProcess #PrisonAccountability #CriminalLegalReform

Read more about Mr. Pointer’s case:
https://missouriindependent.com/2026/10/27/missouri-appeals-court-rejects-prison-math-that-turned-23-year-sentence-into-40-years/ by @mojusticeorg_

For years, lawmakers have used contraband as justification for restricting communication in prisons. Efforts to authorize cellphone jamming in prisons date back to at least 2009, and Senator Tom Cotton has repeatedly pushed similar measures since 2019.

Now, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, Cotton, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr are advancing another effort to authorize cellphone signal jamming in prisons and jails.

In Missouri, personal mail has been banned from direct delivery to state prisons since July 2022. Letters instead must be sent to a processing center in Florida, scanned, and electronically delivered to incarcerated people.

Yet drugs continue to enter Missouri prisons, and overdoses inside the walls remain a serious threat to incarcerated people.

These policies raise a bigger question: Are we making prisons safer, or simply making it harder for people inside to stay connected and speak out?

Restricting communication deepens isolation, weakens family connections, and makes it harder to expose harmful conditions behind prison walls. Contraband is a real concern, but limiting contact with loved ones does not address the consistent failures that allow drugs into prisons.

People inside prisons should not be buried in silence. Communication, transparency, and accountability matter. Policymakers and prison stakeholders must address the real contraband crisis, including why drugs continue entering facilities and claiming lives, instead of relying on communication restrictions that further isolate incarcerated people from the support they need.

Read more: https://www.kark.com/news/state-news/arkansas-attorney-general-tim-griffin-addresses-contraband-cellphones-in-prisons/ by @mojusticeorg_

The policies lawmakers debate have very real consequences for people living inside Missouri’s prisons.

A new article from the Prison Journalism Project shares what incarcerated people across the country want elected officials to understand: the impact of excessive sentences, inadequate medical care, limited educational opportunities, and policies that keep people separated from their families.

We believe the voices of those directly impacted must be part of the conversation. Through statewide courtwatch, public education, and advocacy, we work to bring greater transparency and accountability to Missouri’s criminal legal system.

The people most affected deserve to be heard!

Read the article: https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/10/28/how-politics-affect-prison-life/

Photo: A quote from Prison Journalism Project. “Start by seeing us. Before weighing any policy, readers wanted lawmakers to understand one thing: The people behind the numbers are humans, and they’re the ones who know how the system fails.”

@prisonjournalism #thepeoplemostimpacted #prisonpolicy #humanrights #mojusticecoalition #missouri by @mojusticeorg_

Dozens of organizations across our region are united: invest in our communities, not cages.

Saying no to new jails doesn’t mean ignoring harm if it happens. It means dealing with harm in ways that are survivor-led and address root causes, rather than locking people away.

Every dollar spent expanding jails is money stolen from what actually keeps us safe. And demanding better conditions and medical care for people inside today isn’t endorsing incarceration, it’s basic human decency.

We reject the false choice between keeping things as they are or expanding. by @mojusticeorg_

Dozens of organizations across our region are united: Invest in our communities, not cages.

Saying no to new jails doesn't mean ignoring harm if it happens. It means dealing with harm in ways that are survivor-led and address root causes, rather than locking people away.

Every dollar spent expanding jails is money stolen from what actually keeps us safe. And demanding better conditions and medical care for people inside today isn’t endorsing incarceration, it's basic human decency.

We reject the false choice between keeping things as they are or expanding. by @mojusticeorg_

Our communities know what keeps us safe, and its NOT more jails and prisons.

Kansas City’s $22 million temporary jail, which is over budget, behind schedule, and still without an opening date continues to be pushed forward with elected officials considering spending millions more to see this failing system continue. Across our state, 'leaders' keep promising that more jails and prisons will make us safer.

People from every spectrum in Missouri have been asking for better education, good-paying jobs, effective reentry programs, safe housing, access to nutritious food, and community driven solutions. These are the investments that prevent harm and help people thrive! At #MoJusticeCoalition, we believe our tax dollars should invest in PEOPLE, not more prison and jail cells. Stop building cages and start building stronger communities!

Read more: https://www.kcur.org/news/2026-10-21/kansas-city-temporary-jail

#MoJusticeCoalition #MissouriJustice #CommunitySafety #InvestInCommunities #beyondincarceration

Photo: Kansas City has a new temporary municipal jail in the East Bottoms. But nobody can say when the $22 million facility will open. Pictured is the Front Street Detention Center sign with barbed wire in front of it, located in the West Bottoms. Credit Sam Zeff/ KCUR by @mojusticeorg_

During Prison Banned Books Week, we’re reminded that books, education, and access to information matter for everyone, including those inside prison.

Read this important article from MuckRock on prison book censorship, how you can be apart of change, and why transparency matters: https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2026/oct/19/want-to-do-something-about-censorship-during-prison-banned-books-week-ask-your-local-prison-how-many-books-it-stopped-from-reaching-readers-inside/

We are actively working toward bringing MORE to folks inside, more resources, more opportunities to learn, and more connections to the world beyond prison walls.

#MoJusticeCoalition #FreedomToRead #BooksBehindBars #PrisonCensorship #missourijustice

Photo: Photo of selection of banned book covers from Muck Rock. by @mojusticeorg_

A powerful new article from Book Riot explores the ongoing challenges of prison censorship and the barriers that prevent incarcerated people from accessing books, educational resources, and information.

From inconsistent prison mail policies and restrictions on donated books to limited digital reading options and concerns about privacy, these barriers affect far more than what someone can read. They can limit opportunities to learn, grow, stay connected to the world, and prepare for life beyond incarceration. Access to books and education should never be treated as a privilege reserved for people on the outside.

At MoJusticeCoalition, we believe everyone deserves access to education, knowledge, and opportunities to build a better future,egardless of where they are. Read and share this article to help raise awareness about prison censorship, and support efforts to expand access to knowledge for all.

Learning has no walls!

Read the article at https://bookriot.com/prison-censorship-five-year-report/

#MoJusticeCoalition #FreedomToRead #PrisonCensorship #EducationForAll #BooksAreForEveryone

Photo: Library cart with books shown behind bars. From @bookriot by @mojusticeorg_