Melinda Johnson
Reentry Specialist, Division of Institutions
For the past 25 years, Melinda has used her personal experiences from incarceration to successful social entrepreneur in her work within the criminal justice system. As Director of the California Institution for Women Reentry Initiative with Alpha USA Division of Prisons & Reentry she was responsible for the implementation of Best Practices for pre- and post-release programming.
A professional trainer, Melinda leads workshops in “Breaking Barriers” for successfully reintegrating individuals from incarceration to community. She has trained church and community leaders in building and growing their prison ministry to include reentry preparation workshop facilitation.
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Living in Southern California, Melinda has been a guest speaker both nationally and internationally using her story to motivate others. A mother of 4 boys, she is co-author of the book “Love Mama, Life of a Prison Mama” which provides insight and inspiration on parenting from prison.
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Melinda is a certified Emotional Wellness Coach, Domestic Violence Coach, Mental Health First Aid Responder, Motivational Speaker, Author, and Poet.
Contact Melinda at melinda.johnson@teamdamascus.com.