The Redemption Project

Our Story

Sharing the stories of men and women serving life without parole.

The Redemption Project grew out of a collaboration between Kempis “Ghani” Songster, John Pace and Aaron "Abdul Lateef" Phillips, three remarkable men recently released from prison after serving sentences of at least 30 years, and Mike Lyons, a professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Saint Joseph’s University.

The project’s mission is to research, document and share the stories of lifers, their families and allies to increase public awareness and prompt a revisiting of mandatory life-without-parole sentences.

Our country’s system of mass incarceration was built on stories - fearful narratives of mostly poor black and brown people. Our belief is that stories - hopeful narratives of redemption and injustice - can end mass incarceration.