Wendell 'Craig' Watson

After spending 22 years behind bars for a harm he committed as a child, Wendell Craig Watson came home with a profound determination: to be a force of healing and change. Growing up behind bars, Wendell recognized that the system’s focus on retribution continues to fail our country’s most vulnerable populations. This firsthand experience ignited his passion for a different path, one centered not on punishment, but on restoration. As a Peer Support Specialist with Free Minds, Wendell walks beside others throughout their reentry journeys, offering guidance, support, and lived wisdom. After completing his Restorative Justice training, he’ll be  creating spaces that allow for true accountability, healing, and reconciliation.

During his free time, Wendell volunteers with local DMV organizations committed to violence prevention and empowering at-risk- youth as a Credible Messenger. For Wendell, this work is deeply personal. It’s about breaking generational cycles. It’s about redefining justice. And most of all, it’s about building safer and stronger communities. But his proudest role? Getting the opportunity to build a relationship with his son, who is growing up in a world that Wendell, like so many other ICAN members, is making more just.