Tanya Pierce
| Tanya Pierce | |
| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Advocate, former real estate developer |
| Title | Founder, Life Unbolted |
| Known for | Founding Life Unbolted; restitution and remission advocacy |
| Education | M.B.A.; J.D. candidate |
| Website | lifeunbolted.org |
Tanya Pierce is an American criminal justice reform advocate and the founder of Life Unbolted, a New York City advocacy and reentry organization serving people impacted by the federal criminal justice system.[1][2] She established the organization in 2018, after her April 2017 release from federal prison exposed the shortage of reentry services available to people returning from federal rather than state or local facilities.[2]
Pierce spent more than two decades in real estate development before her incarceration.[1] She is now a J.D. candidate focused on restitution reform and chairs the legislative committee of the RemissionNow campaign, which took the little-known clemency remedy of remission to the United States Office of the Pardon Attorney and worked with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on the Fairness in Restitution Act.[1]
Early life and education
Pierce's first experience with the American carceral system came in the early 1970s, when her father was incarcerated pre-trial, an experience she has described as an early lesson in the ripple effects of incarceration on families.[3] She holds an M.B.A., and in 2024 she became a J.D. candidate with the stated goal of practicing as a federal criminal defense attorney.[2]
Career
Real estate development
Before founding Life Unbolted, Pierce spent more than two decades in real estate development.[1]
Federal incarceration and reentry
Pierce was released from federal prison in April 2017.[2] While living in a halfway house she sought help from nonprofit reentry organizations and found that available services were designed for people returning from New York state and local facilities rather than federal ones, an experience she has said led her to vow to be a catalyst for change.[2]
Life Unbolted
Pierce founded Life Unbolted in 2018 in Brooklyn, New York.[2] The organization describes its mission as dismantling the systemic barriers that perpetuate reentry disparities for men and women impacted by the federal criminal justice system in New York City, with a focus on access to programs, housing, and employment.[2][4]
Life Unbolted's signature program is its Young Adult Initiative, a weekly gathering that began on a Brooklyn rooftop for young adults navigating the federal legal system, with a focus on employment and financial planning.[3][5] The organization also runs restorative justice programming built on the principles of accountability, repair, and transformation.[5] Its work has been supported by the Tow Foundation and the Pinkerton Foundation, and Pierce has contributed to reentry simulation trainings for staff of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and to young adult diversion programming in that district.[3] As a consultant for a REFORM Alliance job fair in Brooklyn, she negotiated day passes that allowed more than 100 people living in halfway houses to attend.[3]
In May 2023, Life Unbolted joined the Coalition of Reentry Advocates, a New York State coalition working to eliminate what it terms perpetual punishment, and the organization supports state legislation including the Clean Slate bill (S. 211A / A. 1029A) to automatically seal conviction records.[6]
Restitution and clemency advocacy
Pierce chairs the legislative committee of the RemissionNow campaign, an effort associated with the Ladies of Hope Ministry, the REFORM Alliance, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers that seeks to end restitution obligations and their collateral consequences.[1][3] The campaign took the clemency remedy of remission to the Office of the Pardon Attorney, and Pierce worked with the NACDL on the Fairness in Restitution Act.[1] She has also consulted on a Columbia Law School podcast episode examining racial disparities in restitution.[3]
Related biographies
- Pamela Winn — Criminal Justice Reform Advocate
- Jeff Grant — Attorney, Minister & Support Group Founder
- Amy K. Nelson — Lawyer
- Louis L. Reed — Criminal Justice Reform Advocate
- Adam Bentley Clausen — Criminal Justice Reform Advocate
- Dickie Scruggs — Trial Lawyer & Second-Chance Advocate
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Tanya Pierce". White Collar Conference. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Our History". Life Unbolted. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Spotlight on: Tanya Pierce, Life Unbolted". Knology. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Life Unbolted". Life Unbolted. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Programs". Life Unbolted. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "NY State Bills". Life Unbolted. Retrieved 2026-09-29.