Jhody Polk’s journey to becoming a leading advocate for legal empowerment began behind bars, where she practiced law as a jailhouse lawyer in Florida’s prison system. Despite never holding a formal law degree, Jhody provided critical legal support to other incarcerated individuals. While many incarcerated people are left without legal representation after sentencing, Jhody became part of an underground network fighting for justice, dignity, and post-conviction freedom. Now based in New York, Jhody founded the Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative (JLI) to ensure that formerly incarcerated individuals have the knowledge to navigate and shape the legal system once they return home. 

Jhody’s vision is to create a New York where legal tools and resources are accessible in every neighborhood. This starts with providing pathways for jailhouse lawyers to reintegrate their legal skills into their communities using legal advocacy hubs across the city. In many ways, this new chapter runs in parallel with her own experience navigating the legal landscape as a free person. 

Partnering with the Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at NYU School of Law, she is developing the first community paralegal studies credential, open to both formerly incarcerated individuals and others interested in legal empowerment. Jhody is on a mission to create a new model for community-based legal navigation, allowing people who have faced the legal system firsthand to lead the way in reimagining justice.