James Swansey

James Swansey is the Policy Director at Restore Justice. He joined the Restore Justice team in February 2021 as a Future Leaders Apprentice. James returned home in December 2020 after serving 28 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Incarcerated in 1993 at the age of 18, James originally received a sentence of natural life without the possibility of parole plus an additional 30 years. He received a new sentence through court cases about youth sentencing. "As time went by, I learned how to become responsible for my actions and accountable for my decisions, which in turn allowed me to show the individual that I actually was," James said. "I now have the opportunity to give back to the same system that sentenced me to die, without giving me the death penalty. Working with Restore Justice is something that I look forward to because I know that I have a voice. I look forward to making a difference." James aspires to be a voice for those who cannot be heard. Since joining the Restore Justice staff, James is most proud of becoming a registered Illinois lobbyist and working in Springfield to ensure passage of legislation that will create more meaningful pathways to release for some of the people he once served time with. James serves on the National Life Without Parole Leadership Council, which seeks to abolish all such sentences and create a society that recognizes the human capacity for transformation, promotes true accountability, and creates opportunities for healing and making amends - a society in which no person is condemned to death by incarceration with a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.