In this episode, Dr. Jeff Sim, a mental health quality improvement manager at the Illinois Department of Corrections, explains what he has learned about the connection between science and empathy in prison populations. Focusing on three major brain development milestones, Dr. Sim talks about why individuals raised in a hyper-vigilant fight-or-flight mode struggle to empathize or feel the consequences of destructive behavior. Hear Dr. Sim's perspective on high-level neuropsychology, the impact of corrections, and the disconnect between incarceration and the real world — highlighting how strong, positive relationships can work to support mental and behavioral health.

In this episode of Community Matters, JLG Architects’ Jennifer Burke Jackson and Rachelle Juntunen, Warden at Dakota Women’s Correctional Rehab Center, talk about what normal can look like for incarcerated women, the challenges of re-entering into the community, and the uptick in female incarceration. As a long-time administrator in this world, Rachelle shares her raw points of view and ideas on how we can begin to unpack real solutions, together.

In this episode of Community Matters, JLG Architects’ Zach Mathern and Isaac Karley interview Michelle Erickson, Executive Director of the Abused Adult Resource Center in Bismarck, ND. Michelle shares her life’s work, the evolving gaps in the system, and how their challenges are overcome with compassion. From basic needs and beyond, she humanizes help for distressed “people;” work that now more effectively strikes the core of the issue – blurring the help lines between victim and offenders. With a criminal justice degree and 17 years of advocacy, she shares both sides of her experience, the impact of accountability and peer support, and the connection between childhood trauma and adult abuse, incarceration, and recidivism. This story isn’t about victims and abusers, it’s the story of communities surviving, learning to thrive, and finding new pathways to help people navigate the broken road they never chose to take. 

Community Matters isn’t here to justify the norm, they’re here to challenge it – amplifying the unheard, bridging diversity, and inviting everyone to speak up for what matters to their community.   

In this episode of Community Matters, JLG Architects’ Jennifer Burke Jackson and her cousin Adam Burke have a conversation about Adam’s experiences during and after incarceration. This series on rehabilitation is guided by community voices both inside and adjacent to incarceration; JLG navigates the question, “What is the purpose of incarceration?”