10 Inspiring Organizations that Help the Incarcerated and Families Impacted by Incarceration

The high incarceration rate in the United States brings with it a myriad of issues and opportunities for growth. Both incarcerated individuals and their families need specialized support, and many organizations have stepped up to aid them and advocate for prison reform, as needed. Unfortunately, in some cases, individuals are incarcerated for crimes they did not commit.

Below is a small sample of inspiring organizations that are working to help the incarcerated or their families in some way, whether through research, advocacy, training programs, legal services, or other forms of support:

Innocence Project

The Innocence Project fights for the innocent, working to stop wrongful convictions. To date, the organization has helped rescue 252 innocent people from incarceration. DNA evidence was utilized in 203 of these cases. After the clients are released, the organization’s social work department aids their reentry into society. Details on the cases can be viewed here. The Innocence Project has identified various factors that contribute to wrongful incarceration, such as eyewitness misidentification and false confessions.

Prison Fellowship

Prison Fellowship is a Christian ministry dedicated to meeting the spiritual needs of the incarcerated population through in-prison programming. The organization also serves children of incarcerated parents through Prison Fellowship Angel Tree® and mobilizes advocacy efforts for justice reform. Notably, Prison Fellowship started Second Chance Month® to advocate for second chances for formerly incarcerated people. The month of April has even been recognized by the White House as Second Chance Month.

Vera Institute

Vera Institute has multiple different initiatives, including an initiative to increase and improve education access for incarcerated individuals. Vera was instrumental in advocating for passing legislation that extended Pell Grants to qualifying incarcerated students, which was put into effect in July of 2023. Driven by a desire for all humans to be treated with dignity, Vera’s other initiatives include efforts to improve prison living conditions, end incarceration for female minors, and advocate for quality legal representation for immigrants, among others.

Hope for Prisoners

Hope for Prisoners serves formerly incarcerated individuals through leadership training, basic computer training, financial workshops, vocational training, mentorship, and more. The organization has a solid partnership with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to promote community safety and successful reintegration post-incarceration. Vocational and other programming for currently incarcerated individuals will be offered through Hope for Prisoners Vocational Village. The 120,000 square foot training center is under construction and will equip individuals in the state of Nevada for release.

The Exoneration Project

The Exoneration Project has helped to free over 200 people from wrongful convictions. The organization provides free services to clients, including forensic testing. The Exoneration Project also educates on the factors leading to a wrongful conviction, such as paid informants and inadequate lawyers.

Prisoner Reentry Network

Prisoner Reentry Network supports the transition from prison life to community life through education, advocacy, and public meetups. The organization’s Director of Advocacy was wrongfully incarcerated for 41 years which has fueled his desire to promote human rights. The organization notes that prisons are still commonly segregated by race, and, as one of its projects, Prisoner Reentry Network uses Dungeons and Dragons to help bring people together both in prison and post-incarceration.

New England Innocence Project

The New England Innocence Project helps wrongfully incarcerated people across six states in the northeast. They provide services free of charge to exonerate the innocent. They also host events, educate the public, and advocate for change. For #WrongfulConvictionDay, the New England Innocence Project created a video titled Exoneree Voices: The human toll of wrongful convictions which features five exonerees and showcases the damaging consequences of an unjust system.

The Sentencing Project

The Sentencing Project advocates for reducing sentence times and implementing special rules for minors and victims of domestic abuse. The organization publishes detailed data on the imprisonment rate, racial disparity, the youth custody rate, and the percentage of people who lost voting rights due to felony charges. The Sentencing Project documents the recent increase in mass incarceration by state and nationally.

Assisting Families of Inmates

Assisting Families of Inmates makes it possible for families to visit their incarcerated loved ones through their Transportation Program for VADOC facilities. This allows children to see their incarcerated parents in-person. Another way the organization assists children with an incarcerated family member is through their Milk and Cookies Children’s Program located in 8 elementary schools in Richmond. The program facilitates healthy peer relationships with others in the same situation and teaches self-regulation. Through a variety of services, the organization serves over 250,000 families each year.

Prison Policy Initiative

The Prison Policy Initiative is a non-partisan organization that publishes research reports, makes data visualizations, and encourages advocacy to improve the criminal justice system. The organization brings to light issues with the criminal legal system, and their advocacy department partners with organizations to support reform. The organization has a wealth of data collected for public use.

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