Marcus Jackson

Marcus Jackson is a formerly incarcerated Kentuckian who overcame many obstacles to become the founder and Executive Director of Advocacy Based on Lived Experience (ABLE) and Vice Chair of the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. He is a Kentucky native and long-time advocate for criminal justice reform. 

Prior to this role, he was the Smart Justice Organizing Coordinator with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky where he led the organization’s voting rights efforts focused on restoring the voting rights of those disenfranchised due to past convictions. He was featured in the Independent Lens - ITVS documentary Persistent: A Challenge to Kentucky’s PFO Law and his other criminal justice reform efforts have been covered at the local, state, and national levels. 

He is looking forward to a time when his organizing and social justice efforts are no longer needed, but for now, he is dedicated to developing the leadership of system impacted individuals, empowering and civically re-engaging local communities across the state, and to reshaping local, state, and national criminal justice practices and policies.