Dorsey Nunn

Dorsey Nunn is a leading expert in criminal justice reform with over 40 years of professional experience. He is the first formerly incarcerated director of a public interest law office in California. Prior to becoming Executive Director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC), he worked as a paralegal, community organizer, and program manager at LSPC, and as a paralegal at the Prison Law Office.

Dorsey was sentenced to life in the California Department of Corrections when he was 19 years old. He was paroled in 1981 and discharged from parole in 1984. Under his leadership, LSPC has made significant advances including the development of the Elder Freeman Policy Fellowship, legal victories including the Ashker lawsuit that ended long term solitary confinement in California, and policy victories including the end of shackling of pregnant women, and the biggest drug sentencing reform passed by the California legislature in recent history (SB 180). His work as a leader of the “Ban the Box Campaign” resulted in 35 states and over 100 municipalities changing their policies related to structural discrimination of formerly incarcerated people in the field of employment. Dorsey also led the successful effort to expand voting rights for people on parole through Proposition 17, an amendment of the California Constitution that was approved by the state’s voters in November, 2020.

Dorsey’s leadership has helped to establish several local and national institutions and movement building projects including All of Us or None, Critical Resistance, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People and Families Movement and Free at Last, a recovery and rehabilitation center in East Palo Alto, CA. Through his commitment to international anti-racist organizing, he has visited prisons in El Salvador, New Zealand, and South Africa. He has also served on delegations to international conferences including The International Conference on Prison Abolition in Canada and The International Conference on Youth in Cuba. He is also a frequently requested speaker at conferences and universities.

Dorsey has received federal and local recognition including the White House Champion of Change Award by President Obama, Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by Nancy Pelosi, the Senate Certificate of Recognition by Senator Jackie Speier and Karen Bass, Certificate of Appreciation from the California State Assembly, Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, and recognition from the SF Board of Supervisors and Mayor Gavin Newsom. He is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Chief Justice Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award from the ACLU of Northern California, the Movement Builders Award from A New Way of Life, and the Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks Visiting Professorship at the University of Michigan.

Dorsey has been instrumental in changing the national narrative around formerly incarcerated people by centering people with conviction histories as experts in the field of criminal justice reform. His work has been featured in local and national publications including the LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, New York Times, Washington Post, and The Nation. Michelle Alexander wrote about Dorsey’s work with all of Us or None in her best-selling book, The New Jim Crow, and he was featured in Ava Duvernay’s seminal documentary film, 13th. Since his release from prison, Dorsey has focused on reunifying, restoring, and healing his family. He is a loving father and grandfather who is inspired by his grandchildren and great grandchildren to keep working to create a better future for all youth.