🧭 OUR MISSION

• Re-enfranchise people intimately affected by incarceration
• Educate those who aren’t
• Collectively work toward abolishing the prison-industrial complex

💣 THE PROBLEM

• 2.2+ million people are incarcerated in the U.S.—the highest incarceration rate in the world.
• The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but 20% of its incarcerated population.
• 1 in 2 Americans has had an immediate family member incarcerated.
• Recidivism rate: Over 60% of people released from prison are rearrested within 3 years, largely due to lack of support systems.
• The prison system disproportionately targets:
  • Black Americans: 13% of U.S. population but nearly 40% of incarcerated people.
  • People with disabilities, mental health challenges, and low income.
• Private prison industry is a multibillion-dollar enterprise, incentivized by incarceration over rehabilitation.
• Less than 10% of philanthropic dollars in the U.S. go toward criminal justice reform.

The prison industrial complex offers a well-documented lens into abject, systemic inequity – bolstered by economic incentives that encourage the persistence of private prison companies and other corporations that supply goods and services to government prison agencies. Stemming from slavery, the prison system continues to perpetuate practices that disproportionally affect marginalized communities and maintain a racial capitalist regime.

Due to an egregious lack of resources, support, and education, recidivism rates remain high, communities of color struggle to build wealth, and millions of people are forced to the margins of society without means.

Basic welfare – both in prison and upon release/re-entry – is dramatically affected by incarceration. Even in small segments, prison can turn lives upside down. A couple weeks behind bars can mean losing jobs and housing, while diminishing future prospects for both.

Thousands of organizations nationwide are attempting to reduce this system’s harm, but they’re engaged in a competitive zero-sum game for limited resources. In actuality, resources would be more effective if generated and allocated collectively.

The overarching philosophy of decentralization — a concept championed by new Internet communities that seeks liberation from exploitative, centralized platforms — aligns well with the tenets of prison abolition. We’re building an impact network that leverages that ethos and uses technology to seamlessly unite various organizational efforts that share similar goals.

🌈 WHO DOES THIS SERVE

Our impact network serves the incarcerated communities of the United States and all others affected by incarceration — friends, family, and everyone else who believes in the humanity of our incarcerated comrades.