A Commpro News UpdateCNN Political Commentator Van Jones has been selected as the 2017 Justice Media Trailblazer, an award given annually by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The Crime Report.  This honor is given to individuals in the media field who exhibit an advanced understanding of the current challenges of criminal justice in our society.Jones, who co-founded #cut50, is among the leading voices fighting for the reduction of mass incarceration.  Among his other noteworthy initiatives, Jones' advocacy organization, Dream Corps, www.thedreamcorps.org connects tech sector career opportunities to under-represented people via #YesWeCode and works toward improving environmental justice via #GreenForAll."He's a brilliant example of a change agent who has been able to use the power of the media to change minds and provoke a national conversation about the possibilities of reform in a criminal justice system that most experts agree is riddled with inequities," said Stephen Handelman, executive editor of The Crime Report, and director of the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay.In addition to his criminal justice activism, Jones works hard for several environmental causes and efforts to combat racism. He is a founder of the Ella Baker Center and Color of Change. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), 1Sky, the National Apollo Alliance, Social Venture Network, Rainforest Action Network, Bioneers, Julia Butterfly Hill's "Circle of Life" organization, and Free Press. He currently serves on the board of trustees at Demos.Jones' work in the media has been recognized with awards from The Root, Ebony, and Rolling Stone, among others. In 2009 he was one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People.Jones will be presented with the Trailblazer award on Feb. 16, 2017, in a special dinner at John Jay College, following the announcement of the winners of the 12th Annual John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim prizes for Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting, called the "Pulitzers" of criminal justice journalism.Past Justice Trailblazer winners include David Simon of "The Wire", "Treme", and "Homeland"; Piper Kerman, originator of "Orange is the New Black"; NPR's Maria Hinojosa, producer of Latino USA; and New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb.