Election time: Vote to Send JPI to Netroots Nation!

By Zerline Hughes

I guess I’m officially a blogger. JPI has a blog. I write for it every now and again. That makes me a blogger. Wow! Who’d have thought!

So, why not try out for a scholarship sponsored by Democracy for America and America's Voice to attend the NetRoots Nation Conference for bloggers. I AM a blogger, aren’t I? My boss nominated me (it’s an honor just to be considered), and now all I need is your vote!

The NetRoots Nation Conference is an annual event for bloggers (like me) to hone their craft of blogging -- but not just any old blogging. I mean, we all follow a fashion & style blog, sports blog, celebrity gossip blog and get excellent information for water cooler chat, but what I’m talking about is political, advocacy-based blogging. Now that’s something we should be talking about at the water cooler, at the bus stop, and of course, with our legislators.

The JustPolicy Blog, now in its seventh month in the blogosphere, has highlighted such issues as veterans in the justice system, federal criminal justice spending, California’s prison overcrowding crisis, the role of media in justice reform, and the role victims play in policy making. My contributions have delved into the work I do as communications manager for JPI, the events we have brought to the masses and the effort it takes to do outreach on an issue which can sometimes be hard to communicate – mass incarceration, recidivism, racial disparity, and so on. They’re all big words, big issues, and as part of the JPI communications team, it’s our job to convey these big issues in a short, concise, understandable way.

And that’s why I – and the rest of the JPI staff – can officially add "blogger" to our repertoire. We want to ensure that everyone has easy to understand access to criminal justice reform news.

If you appreciate the JustPolicy Blog, tell a friend, comment on our blog, and help me fit in to my newly accepted title as “official blogger” by voting for me so that I may receive a NetRoots Nations scholarship to attend the annual convening to make me an even better blogger for JPI, for the cause!

Zerline Hughes is the communications manager for JPI.