Protests serve as catalysts for change, but their long-term impact depends on effective policy reform. This roundtable discussion will explore how protest movements, particularly those related to criminal justice reform and reintegration, have successfully led to systemic change. By analyzing key historical and contemporary examples—including the Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives Matter, and global justice movements—this session will highlight strategies that translate activism into legislative impact and long-term institutional transformation.

Through comparative case studies, we will examine how grassroots movements have reshaped policies on policing, incarceration, and reintegration. This session will integrate historical protests that led to significant legal shifts, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and South Africa’s post-Apartheid justice model. By incorporating digital activism and international advocacy strategies, we will explore how social movements can extend their influence beyond street protests to institutional reforms.

Participants will engage in live polling, small-group discussions, and guided reflections to evaluate the effectiveness of various protest strategies in shaping policy reforms. The discussion will address common critiques of protest movements—such as claims that they lack tangible results—and counter them with data-backed evidence of protest-driven policy changes. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to sustain reform efforts, ensuring that reintegration policies become part of a broader justice-driven resistance. This session aims to provide a roadmap for scholars, activists, and policymakers to transform advocacy into structural change.