Washington, DC (Oct. 7, 2021) — On October 7, 2021, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) presented Lava Records CEO Jason Flom with the 2021 Champion of Justice Philanthropy Award at the 2021 NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice (NFCJ) Gala. Champion of Justice Awards are bestowed upon those individuals who – through legislative, journalistic, philanthropic, or humanitarian pursuits – have staunchly preserved or defended the constitutional rights of individuals in the United States and have endeavored to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime. Flom was bestowed the award for his leadership, philanthropy, and commitment to telling the stories of the wrongfully incarcerated.
“There has never been a human being like this that I know of that is so good, and kind, and has literally committed his life, every cell in his body, to helping those in need, namely people that have been wrongfully accused of crimes, people that have been guilty of crimes that need a second chance, people that need clemency,” said criminal defense attorney and legal system reform advocate Josh Dubin, “Whether it's going to a governor's office and pleading for their release, or whether it is lobbying a district attorney, or whether it is paying for attorneys, or putting them up in housing, or anything they need in between.”
Jason Flom is the Founder and CEO of Lava for Good and Lava Records, and previously served as Chairman and CEO at Atlantic Records, Virgin Records, and Capitol Music Group. He is a leading philanthropist and expert on criminal legal issues and an internationally recognized and celebrated public speaker. Flom is a founding board member of the Innocence Project and serves on the boards of numerous criminal legal reform organizations.
Flom founded Lava for Good Podcasts to shed light on and advance criminal legal system reform. Among the company’s hit podcasts is Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom, which features interviews with men and women who have spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit, some even sentenced to death. Now in its sixth year, Wrongful Conviction is a leading podcast in the criminal legal system space. Flom also hosts the podcast Righteous Convictions, which features interviews with prominent social justice leaders such as Senator Dick Durbin, U.S. Representative James Clyburn, and Serial creator and activist Rabia Chaudry. The show aims to inform and inspire action for justice reform through discussions with thought-leaders, politicians, and activists.
Flom was inspired to take up the cause of criminal legal system reform in 1993, when he read a story in the newspaper about a young man who was serving 15 years to life on a nonviolent first offense drug charge at a maximum-security prison in New York state. Flom, who was the same age at the time and had undergone his own challenges with drugs, was struck by how differently his life turned out. He recruited a criminal defense lawyer to take the case pro bono, who was able to get the young man sent home. Said Flom, “That was when I realized that if I could connect the dots...then that would be my calling, that would be my superpower.”
Contacts
Jessie Diamond, NACDL Public Affairs and Communications Associate (202) 465-7647 or jdiamond@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.