Impact Justice

Calling all Angelenos! Our first-ever documentary short film “Building Justice: A journey to Finland” has its world premiere THIS WEEKEND at the Awareness Film Festival! The film explores the Nordic prison system and social welfare approach to public safety – and asks what might be possible in our own country. Take a trip to Finland with us as we dare to imagine a different reality here in the United States. Get your ticket now: https://lnkd.in/gbrjTAzt

“Justice is inevitable.” Too often, contact with the criminal legal system is a barrier to employment and other opportunities for personal growth and professional development. Flipping that script means recruiting people because of their life experiences, not in spite of them. By leveraging their owned lived experiences to provide reentry coaching and mentorship to justice-involved youth and young adults, our California Justice Leaders are proving that the best leaders can look just like us. #LeadersLikeUs #YJAM2024 #OJJDPTurns50 Special shoutout to CJL members and alums Andrew, Daniel, Albert, Christine, Ashaki, Shedrick, Nashira and Jose for sharing what justice means to them!

Good financial education can change the direction of someone's reentry journey. That's why we're teaming up with Beneficial State Bank to provide financial education to people returning from prison: helping them learn how to establish a credit history, create and manage a budget, and build their savings. Learn more about our comprehensive reentry support offerings at https://lnkd.in/g8h6hyTR!

Justice is #LeadersLikeUs! In celebration of Youth Justice Action Month, we’re putting the spotlight on our California Justice Leaders, who are redefining justice for the next generation through powerful mentorship and community service in partnership with AmeriCorps and California Volunteers. Our CJL alums are showing up as leaders in the movement to build safer communities, and their successes prove the importance of investing in credible messenger programs for young people impacted by the criminal legal system. We ALL need more leaders like them. #YJAM2024 #OJJDPTurns50 Video featuring CJL alums Darrell, Jason, Rabia, and Dee. ❤️

When food is unappetizing or inedible, it ends up in the trash. 90% of people we interviewed reported the food they received in prison was unpleasant to eat; and even if someone else might have wanted it, some prisons prohibit sharing food, even if it will otherwise go to waste. Improving the quality of food in prison reduces food waste and improves health outcomes. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gdNxJZpw.

With enough imagination - and with creative partnerships - even the toughest problems are solvable. Earlier today, our team joined faith-based partners and sponsors at the LA County Faith Summit focused on supporting our unhoused neighbors. As we continue to expand the Homecoming Project in Los Angeles, we’re finding countless inspiring opportunities for collaboration - you can feel the excitement in the photo! Grateful to the many wonderful partners in Los Angeles who are expanding our imagination as we work to provide safe and accessible housing to people returning from prison who need it most. ❤️ HOPICS Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Fuller Theological Seminary DCG Strategies Los Angeles County Development Authority Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

“Forbidding people who finished prison sentences to vote is profoundly unjust — and unwise. It’s difficult enough for people convicted of a serious crime to make their way back into their communities, find jobs and reestablish relationships with family and friends. Disenfranchising them only stifles their efforts to re-engage not just in society but in our democracy.”

Don’t forget: there are only two states in which everyone has the right to vote. #NationalVoterRegistrationDay

Last year, we led a group of partners on a trip to Finland, to learn how Nordic countries have substantially reduced their reliance on incarceration and to encourage imagination about what might be possible here in the United States. Then, we made a film about it. See our first-ever short film, Building Justice: A Journey to Finland, in its world premiere at the Awareness Film Festival in Los Angeles on October 6th! Get your ticket today at https://lnkd.in/gbrjTAzt Can't make it to the LA screening? Keep an eye out for information on virtual viewing options, coming soon!

As we delve deeper into the intersection of #homelessness and #reentry, it's crucial that we rethink our understanding of 'home.' The term "returning home" often fails to address the reality faced by formerly incarcerated individuals, who constitute 23.1-47.8% of annual homeless shelter admissions and are 10 times more likely to experience homelessness compared to the general population. (Source: Community Solutions Research) For me personally, the challenge was not just about coming to terms that I had no home to return to but about redefining what home meant to me. I needed tools and resources to reshape my concept of home, moving beyond the traditional notion of #homeownership. With some more personal growth, hope, and a joint effort to create change -- my childhood dream of 'home' can one day be a reality.