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Dr. Judy and Scott Budnick get together to talk about why he left a red-hot career in Hollywood behind to start the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, a non-profit organization with the mission of ending mass incarceration, improving the community, and promoting impactful policy change. Scott is well-known for being one of the executive producers of The Hangover but after a fateful visit to Sylmar Juvenile Hall, he began to follow a different dream: to work in criminal justice reform and to provide mentorship and employment opportunities for incarcerated youth. Scott describes how he was able to have empathy and take compassionate action with a population that is largely forgotten by society, many of whom were victims of neglect, trauma, and physical or sexual abuse without positive role models to show them the way to living a responsible and meaningful life. Scott tells incredible stories of how he helped disenfranchised youth turn their life around and become productive and helpful citizens upon release, drastically reducing the stark recidivism rates that plague our country.  Scott’s heartfelt commitment and his passionate voice to this cause has attracted meaningful partnerships with legislators, politicians, movie studios, employers, and celebrities, including Emmy, Grammy, and Academy Award Winning musician Common. His phenomenal activism includes continuing to provide creative resources for education and healing to inmates during the pandemic, and his triumphant return to filmmaking by partnering with Warner Bros. to create Just Mercy. This award-winning film was paired with the largest social impact initiative ever tied to a film, between a Common concert at California Rehabilitation Center to movie screenings for policy makers. Scott’s energy and enthusiasm is truly contagious, and his message of hope and positivity, especially during this challenging time amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests for racial equality, is so refreshing, incredibly timing, and sorely needed.  If you have a passion to start an initiative or want to offer help to people who are suffering, this episode will provide you with the tools you need to roll up your sleeves today and do something impactful. By learning the skills of empathy and compassionate action, you will become an expert at communication, persuade and motivate those around you, and solve problems and handle conflicts with greater ease. These skills will supercharge your own success and relationships and help you to live a purposeful, joyful life. Come along and listen in as Scott teaches all of us how we can spread our own positive messages to the world like wildfire, and how each of us can make a difference in the lives of our loved ones and our community at large. In this episode, we discuss:  Startling statistics regarding the prison system, budget, and recidivism (2:20) The moment that changed Scott’s life (3:15) Scott’s “woke” moment and the valuable lessons he learned from his parents (10:30) The shocking commonality among many incarcerated youths (12:45) The power of mentorship and why every kid need someone to show up for them (15:05) How Scott advocated for a bill to ban a juvenile life without parole in California (20:50) The rehabilitation problem in the U. S. and how we should fix it (28:50) Are there prisoners who cannot and should not be rehabilitated? (34:25) Scott’s triumphant return to filmmaking with Just Mercy and how he married his two passions (37:10) SuperCharged Tips for Empathy and Compassionate Action (42:00) https://www.drjudyho.com https://www.instagram.com/drjudyho https://twitter.com/drjudyho             https://www.facebook.com/doctorjudyho https://www.instagram.com/stage29podcasts https://twitter.com/stage29podcasts https://www.facebook.com/Stage29Podcasts   https://www.instagram.com/scottbudnick1 https://antirecidivism.org https://www.facebook.com/antirecidivismcoalition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices