Juvenile Justice Reform
James Hazelwood | Rhode Island, United States
Photographer: James Hazelwood
Exhibit Title: Juvenile Justice Reform
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Mario Monteiro’s story testifies to the power of both personal transformation and a broad, determined coalition working to make justice real. Sentenced at age seventeen to consecutive life terms, Mario spent two decades in prison, becoming the kind of person the system claimed he could never be: an educated, community-minded adult who trained therapy dogs, completed rehabilitation programs, and mentored others. His growth inspired a five-year campaign by family members, public defenders, legislators, advocates, and civil rights organizations to pass “Mario’s Law,” a bill that would give youthful offenders a chance at parole after 20 years.
But passing the law was only part of the battle. The Rhode Island Department of Corrections and the Attorney General’s office interpreted the statute so narrowly that Mario, the bill’s namesake, was denied a hearing. Advocates teamed up with the ACLU of Rhode Island to take the case all the way to the state Supreme Court to secure his release.
Today, Mario works in landscaping and, along with two others, initiated the RI Freedom Collective, which works on prison sentencing reform.
Following the 2024 election, I sought ways to engage my photography to serve a public good. This meant volunteering my services for organizations that advocated for political and social reform. In early 2025, I met the communications director of the Rhode Island ACLU and explored ways their text-heavy approach to communications could benefit from images. We planned several projects, including this one, centered on the long road to freedom for Mario.
Over the course of 2025, I sought out the principal players in this narrative for portraits, and together with the ACLU, wrote an accompanying essay.
Rhode Island ACLU
James Hazelwood
(401) 932-6963
www.jameshazelwoodphoto.com
jimhazelwood@mac.com
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