On this episode, Alissa speaks with two women who are reshaping what victim advocacy is and what it could do for our criminal justice system.

Rafiah Muhammad-McCormick became an advocate after her son was killed in her backyard. Today, she works with Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and Rodney’s Village, a nonprofit that she founded. In addition, Rafiah volunteers as a victim’s advocate for Mothers Over Murder. Valerie Craig is the co-founder of Tennessee Voices for Victims. She has spent decades supporting crime victims, including in the wake of mass violence. She also teaches victim impact classes inside prisons, a reminder that the people we prosecute are often victims themselves. These remarkable women make it clear that “victim advocates” aren’t a monolith in the way they think about criminal prosecution and what it would take to keep communities safe. This conversation offers insights that prosecutors, policymakers, law enforcement officers, and other activists will find fascinating.