Jarrett Harper

Jarrett Harper is a criminal justice and foster care reform advocate known for his work in youth justice and policy change. Harper is the founder and executive director of Better Days, an organization focused on ending life sentences for children, developing rehabilitation resources for individuals reentering society, and addressing the foster care-to-prison pipeline. His expertise includes teaching cognitive behavior therapy, trauma awareness, and healing dialogue, with certification from The Catalyst Foundation, which emphasizes restorative justice and building a healing society.

A survivor of the Los Angeles County foster care system, Harper spent 20 years incarcerated. At age 16, he took the life of his abuser to protect himself and his younger brother, and was later sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 10 years. During his incarceration, Harper facilitated self-improvement programs for other incarcerated individuals. His sentence was eventually commuted, and he was released from prison.

Harper has since focused on advocacy and legislative reform, founding Better Days to support foster youth through mentoring, workforce development, and policy initiatives. He contributed to the passage of legislation in California and Maryland aimed at protecting children who are survivors of sex trafficking and abuse. Harper's advocacy has been featured in campaigns with Represent Justice, and he has testified before Congress and state legislatures on children's rights. In collaboration with John Legend, Harper helped raise significant funds for organizations working to end the foster care-to-prison pipeline, including $750,000 for Free America.

Harper has advanced criminal justice reform initiatives with Google and YouTube, and partnered with the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth to launch "Project Witness," a virtual reality campaign highlighting the experiences of children in adult prisons. He also served as an ambassador for Represent Justice's "Just Mercy" campaign and volunteers with Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, mentoring foster youth involved in the criminal legal system. Harper has delivered keynote addresses for organizations such as Verizon, Google, YouTube, University of Southern California, and Princeton, and his work has been featured in Washington Post Live and The Orange County Register. Harper's keynotes address topics including decision-making, redemption, mentorship, community healing, and hope, engaging leaders, educators, youth, and policymakers in criminal justice and foster care reform.