We are pleased to announce that Stoneleigh Fellow Raj Jayadev has been awarded a 2018 MacArthur Fellowship for his work creating a model of grassroots collective action called participatory defense.
On October 4, 2018, Stoneleigh Fellow Raj Jayadev received a 2018 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, commonly known as a MacArthur “genius” grant. Raj and his colleagues at Silicon Valley De-Bug developed a model of grassroots collective action called participatory defense, which aims to transform justice procedures by enabling families and community members to engage in the defense process on behalf of their loved ones.
Participatory defense hubs have been established in California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Tennessee as part of the National Participatory Defense Network. Collectively, the hubs have saved nearly 4,000 years of potential prison terms for defendants through cases won or reduced sentences.
“We are so proud of our Stoneleigh Fellow Raj Jayadev on his much-deserved MacArthur Fellowship,” says Executive Director Ronnie Bloom. “The Stoneleigh Foundation is thrilled to continue to support his efforts locally to position Philadelphia as the first major urban adopter of the participatory defense model.”
