Javier Reyes is the Founder and CEO of Challenge II Change, a non-profit organization that offers comprehensive pre-release and re-entry planning and resources needed for successful transitions back into communities.
He is a restorative justice practitioner, activist and prison reform advocate who began fighting for improvements to the criminal legal system during his 16-year federal incarceration. Javier values the humanity in all people and believes involvement in the criminal legal system should not hinder a person from realizing their rights, fully participating in society and living a life of dignity.
As an advocate for restorative and criminal justice reform, he works with officials and county prosecutors in Kane County to assist with alternative programs that divert citizens of color away from incarceration. Javier is on the Governing Board for the Fully Free Campaign, a campaign to end the 1,189 permanent punishments in Illinois that restrict the rights of people with records after incarceration. Previously, as a Civic Leader for Chicago Votes, he assisted in the drafting of the Civic Education curriculum and wrote the instructor’s manual for said curriculum that is currently being taught throughout the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Javier is a student at North Park University working toward his master’s in theological studies, with an emphasis on restorative arts.