Guest Commentary written by
Joanna Hernandez
Joanna Hernandez is the director of strategic partnerships at the San Francisco Pre-Trial Diversion Project and owns a barber shop with her family in Contra Costa County.
At 15, I became a mom. Desperate to make money to support my baby, I got involved in drug sales and theft. I cycled in and out of the criminal justice system until I was 23.
Community programs in San Francisco helped me turn my life around. Today, I work for a nonprofit that connects people in county jails to diversion programs, which help them make similar transitions. And as founders of Freedom Braiders, my daughter and I lead programs that teach the art of hair braiding and offer cognitive behavior classes in jails…