It Takes a Village: Community Development in Community Corrections

Dr. Ventura is a Deputy Probation Officer for the Los Angeles County Probation. Prior to his work in the public sector, he worked across the full spectrum of care related to social and human services. As a system impacted individual, with a lifelong connection to justice and equity struggles faced by BIPOC peoples, he focused on work related to eliminating or navigating barriers and improving systems and uplifting the consciousness of individuals to help them overcome their circumstances. In addition to his work for the probation department, Dr. Ventura serves as a grant reviewer for the U.S. Department of Justice, has worked on developing curriculum for numerous organizations, has served as a consultant to nonprofits working with systems and system impacted people. He has worked with adults in the Los Angeles County Jail system, while he spent time teaching in each of the lockup facilities, he spent a significant amount of time in the very same facility he once held a number for. Making the irony even greater is that one of the facilities he now manages programs for, his father once resided in. Dr. Ventura has come full circle in many ways, but his focus and the purpose of this workshop comes from having experienced watching his uncle, a Brown Beret and his aunt a member of the Black Panthers, both engaged in the civil rights movements dedicate their lives to social, racial and economic justice through educational opportunity and advancement. As guiding mentors, Dr. Ventura has not only embraced their passions as his own; he blended it into his own fight for justice and system reform. This includes the importance of considering victim impacts, reducing violence and healing from its trauma; another important element as he and his family are also survivors of a street violence related murder while at Morehouse College. As a young at risk youth in his own right, Dr. Ventura graduated from a Continuation High School; eventually went back to school to earn his Bachelors Degree in Social Work from California State University, Los Angeles, a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a special emphasis on Social and Human Services, Public and Non-profit Administration from the University of La Verne, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis on Service of Justice, Access and Social Change from California State University. His Dissertation, Liberating Consciousness was a study of a large county correctional education system has become the basis of his expertise around programs and services that contribute to changing individuals and systems. Dr. Ventura has lectured at numerous institutions in Southern California, has presented at various conferences, served on Boards and Advisory Committees, and continues to serve the community. His last academic assignment was at Pacific Oaks College where he taught sections on Human Development, Social Justice, and Advocacy.