Shima Baradaran Baughman, a law professor at BYU and expert on criminal justice reform, shares her compelling story of fleeing Iran after her mother's activism led to imprisonment. She discusses the powerful role of faith communities in transforming lives within the justice system and advocates for mercy over punishment. Shima highlights the impact of initiatives like prison ministries and community support for the formerly incarcerated, emphasizing that true change often happens at the margins—where compassion thrives and barriers dissolve.
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Family's Escape from Iran
Shima Baradaran Baughman's mother was imprisoned in Iran for political activism after fighting against the Shah and the subsequent theocracy.
Her family, including seven-year-old Shima, fled to the US and converted to Christianity, fearing for their lives upon return.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Conversion to Christianity
Shima's family converted to Christianity six months after arriving in the US.
Converting from Islam to Christianity was punishable by death in Iran, further solidifying their decision to stay in the US.
insights INSIGHT
Focus on Pretrial Detention
Shima's early criminal justice reform work focused on pretrial detention and bail reform, aiming to prevent incarceration.
She believed data-driven policy changes could influence judges' decisions, but realized their reliance on intuition.
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Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
Jonathan Haidt
In this book, Jonathan Haidt draws on twenty-five years of research on moral psychology to explain why people's moral judgments are driven by intuition rather than reason. He introduces the Moral Foundations Theory, which posits that human morality is based on six foundations: care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation, and liberty/oppression. Haidt argues that liberals tend to focus on the care/harm and fairness/cheating foundations, while conservatives draw on all six. The book also explores how morality binds and blinds people, leading to social cohesion but also to conflicts. Haidt aims to promote understanding and civility by highlighting the commonalities and differences in moral intuitions across political spectra.
Tattoos on the Heart
The Power of Boundless Compassion
Gregory Boyle
In 'Tattoos on the Heart', Father Gregory Boyle shares his experiences and insights from thirty years of working with gang members in Los Angeles. The book is a collection of parables that highlight the importance of kinship, redemption, and boundless compassion. Boyle founded Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program, and his stories reflect his commitment to helping young people escape gang life and find a path to self-respect and dignity. The book emphasizes the power of unconditional love, faith, and the importance of treating all individuals with respect and kindness, regardless of their background[1][3][5].
This week, we’re joined by Shima Baradaran Baughman, a nationally renowned expert on criminal justice reform and a law professor at BYU. After years focusing on shaping public policy and reforming systems, Shima began to recognize that the deepest and most lasting change wasn’t coming from legislation alone, but from the quiet, compassionate efforts of faith communities and individuals who were directly transforming lives one by one.
In this conversation, Shima shares her astonishing life story—how her family fled Iran after her mother’s imprisonment for political activism, their conversion to Christianity after arriving in the United States, and how those experiences have fueled a passion for justice and mercy.
Shima also shares insights from her current research, which examines the profound impact faith communities are having on those often forgotten by society. Whether it’s through prison ministries, sitting beside strangers during bail hearings to bear witness and offer solidarity, or ward families welcoming and supporting formerly incarcerated individuals, she highlights how these simple, Christlike acts of radical mercy are breaking down barriers, healing hearts, and bringing light to some of the darkest corners of our world.
Shima reminds us that living like Jesus will often take us to the margins—to uncomfortable, messy spaces where true transformation begins. And that it’s in those spaces where both hearts and lives can be changed, including our own.
Faith Matters 
