Greg Harris
Person by Greg Harris
Greg Harris is a former DOJ official turned nonprofit executive who now leads work inside Central America’s juvenile detention centers, helping incarcerated youth rebuild their lives.
About
Greg Harris is the Executive Director of Counteract International, a faith-based nonprofit working inside juvenile detention centers in Central America to help incarcerated youth transform their lives through mentorship, education, and spiritual supp...
Greg Harris is the Executive Director of Counteract International, a faith-based nonprofit working inside juvenile detention centers in Central America to help incarcerated youth transform their lives through mentorship, education, and spiritual support. Before leading Counteract, Greg served in senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as Deputy Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and worked on Capitol Hill. His career spans nonprofit leadership as well as federal and state government, with a focus on juvenile justice. Today, Greg works closely with teams in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, where he has witnessed firsthand how consistent relationships and the message of the Gospel can break cycles of violence, incarceration, and despair to help young people build new futures. He is co-author of "Counteract: Walking Alongside Incarcerated Youth in Central America from Prison to Purpose", which shares powerful, real-life stories of redemption from inside juvenile detention centers and highlights a model of transformation that is restoring lives, families, and communities. Greg holds a Master of Public Administration from George Mason University
What Matters
Greg calls Mentorship "huge" and says "if you don't have someone mentoring you and showing you the way, then you're just gonna continue in the same rut" — it's central to his rehabilitation work.
Greg says Juvenile justice system "definitely matters." It's not about ignoring crimes, but ensuring "a fair approach to life when life probably hasn't been that fair to them so far."
Greg says Artificial intelligence "definitely matters" and is "unavoidable at this point." His organization uses it for grant proposals, foundation research, and reporting on the administrative side.
Greg says Social media "definitely matters," especially for reaching younger generations, "communicating the work, showing them what the opportunities are and the possibilities."
Greg says Sport "matters to me personally" and in his work — it's "an outlet for these youth who are behind barbed wires" and soccer is especially significant in Central America.
Greg says Music "matters" because it "gives joy" and "soothes." His faith-based organization plays worship music in detention centers, saying it "matters to soothe the soul."
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ViewWhys (6)
Greg says Music "matters" because it "gives joy" and "soothes." His faith-based organization plays worship music in detention centers, saying it "matters to soothe the soul."
Does MUSIC matter to you?
Greg says Sport "matters to me personally" and in his work — it's "an outlet for these youth who are behind barbed wires" and soccer is especially significant in Central America.
Does SPORT matter to you?
Greg says Artificial intelligence "definitely matters" and is "unavoidable at this point." His organization uses it for grant proposals, foundation research, and reporting on the administrative side.
Does ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE matter to you?
Greg says Social media "definitely matters," especially for reaching younger generations, "communicating the work, showing them what the opportunities are and the possibilities."
Does SOCIAL MEDIA matter to you?
Greg says Juvenile justice system "definitely matters." It's not about ignoring crimes, but ensuring "a fair approach to life when life probably hasn't been that fair to them so far."
Does JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM matter to you?
Greg calls Mentorship "huge" and says "if you don't have someone mentoring you and showing you the way, then you're just gonna continue in the same rut" — it's central to his rehabilitation work.
Does MENTORSHIP matter to you?
Takeaways (8)
I think society writes these kids off, but they were born into situations none of us would choose.
I believe there's still a window, before a kid gets hardened, where you can actually change things.
I care about justice meaning a fair shot, not just punishment for what these kids did.
I've seen that without someone showing you a different way, you just stay stuck where you started.
I use sports and music as real outlets for kids who have nothing else inside those walls.
I think the most powerful thing is watching these kids come back and run programs for younger ones.
I see kids proving wrong every single person who said their lives were worthless.
I think about the fact that these kids didn't start at zero, they started behind the line.