PHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 09: Former NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones speaks on radio row ahead of … [+]
Adam “PacMan” Jones told me in an interview that it is difficult to watch so many people being put into prison for decades. “This sh*$ got to stop,” Jones told me, “you got one guy doing ayahuasca and they make a documentary about how great it is. Meanwhile, we got people in prison for decades for something like marijuana and it is legal now. That don’t make sense to me.”
Jones, a former NFL cornerback and return specialist who played thirteen seasons—primarily for the Cincinnati Bengals—is no stranger to second chances. After serving a suspension in 2007, he returned to the league and built a successful career. Today, Jones is leveraging his platform, including his own popular podcast and regular appearances on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, to advocate for criminal justice reform. “I love talking smack about sports,” Jones said, “but I also think I can use my celebrity to push for change in the justice system.” To this end, he has partnered with the Tzedek Association, an organization dedicated to reforming criminal justice.
Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, founder of the Tzedek Association, is an unlikely but effective ally in this mission. A soft-spoken community activist, Rabbi Margaretten gained national recognition for his role in crafting the First Step Act (FSA), a landmark law signed by President Donald Trump in 2018. The FSA aimed to reduce prison populations by allowing inmates to earn sentence reductions through productive activities and classes. Since its implementation in 2023, nearly 50,000 prisoners have benefited from the program. However, the rollout has been plagued with issues, leaving many prisoners serving longer sentences than intended under the law.
Rabbi Margaretten acknowledges the challenges but sees Jones as a vital partner in bringing attention to these issues. “Work often happens behind the scenes to create change,” Margaretten said. “But today, with social media and public platforms, we need someone who can cast a big net. Mr. Jones is colorful, and people listen to him. He has boundless energy, and we intend to use that to take our message to the nation.”
Jones is equally enthusiastic about the collaboration. “Look, I know what drugs do to people, and I also know we’re sending people to prison for way too long,” he said. Jones, who has witnessed firsthand the devastation drugs can cause in families and communities, questions the fairness of lengthy prison sentences for nonviolent offenses. “I know people doing time, and when I met up with the folks at Tzedek, I thought, these dudes are moving things.”
The partnership between Jones and Rabbi Margaretten is tackling a system slow to reverse decades of punitive policies. Laws like the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act and the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act contributed to a dramatic increase in federal prison populations, which peaked at 213,000 in 2013. Although efforts to reduce mass incarceration have made progress, over 150,000 people remain in federal prisons. Rabbi Margaretten believes that more can be done.
He points out that prior to the establishment of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, supervised release or community-based supervision was used as the sole sentence in 40% of federal criminal cases. Today, it’s less than 3%, as supervised release is now tacked on after a prison term. “We need to rethink how we use prison,” Margaretten said. “There are other forms of punishment that are both compassionate and fiscally responsible.”
While groups like Tzedek push for broader reforms, they’re also focused on maximizing the impact of existing laws like the First Step Act and the Second Chance Act. Challenges remain, including a lack of halfway house space and administrative hurdles within the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). “We have ideas for new laws and policies to help prisoners return to society,” Rabbi Margaretten said. “But first, we need to ensure the laws we already have are fully implemented.”
President Trump’s administration took pride in the First Step Act, and Pam Bondi, Trump’s soon-to-be-named Attorney General, has pledged to prioritize its full implementation. Rabbi Margaretten and Tzedek hope to continue meaningful dialogue with the BOP, the Department of Justice, and the White House to address ongoing issues.
Looking ahead, Margaretten also hopes to revive the Elderly Offender Pilot Program, which allowed prisoners over 60 to serve up to two-thirds of their sentence on home confinement. The program ended in 2023, removing a critical path for older prisoners to transition out of costly incarceration. “The BOP spends too much money on healthcare for prisoners,” Margaretten said. “We need a combination of compassion and fiscal sense.”
Tzedek is also encouraged by new legislation like the Mens Rea Reform Act of 2023, which seeks to reduce over-criminalization by requiring prosecutors to prove that a defendant intended to commit a crime. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), who sponsored the bill, stated, “Prosecutors should have to show a suspect had a guilty mind, not just that they committed an illegal act, before an American citizen is put behind bars.”
The collaboration between Jones and Rabbi Margaretten highlights how unlikely partnerships can fuel meaningful change. “We have to continue to tell the public about prisons and the people in them,” Margaretten said. “I think someone like Mr. Jones can make a real difference.” Jones, for his part, is optimistic. “Change is coming,” he said. “And I’m all about shaking things up.”