Connie Edson is the founder of Degrees of Humanity, an organization dedicated to advancing dignity, safety, rehabilitation, and humane conditions within correctional facilities. A former school teacher and longtime prison advocate, Connie focuses on practical, innovative solutions that improve conditions for both incarcerated individuals and correctional staff. The organization’s first initiative, the Before & After AC Pilot Program, successfully completed its first project by installing a mini-split air-conditioning system in the prison dog program at Lowell Correctional Institution. Connie believes that humane conditions and public safety go hand in hand, and that meaningful improvements require collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based solutions. As a panelist, she shares her vision for safer, more humane correctional facilities that benefit everyone who lives and works within them.