Grassroots Leadership

Criminal justice programs - the criminal justice programs work to end for- profit private prisons and jails and end criminalization of communities of color while building a base of impacted people and allies for change. Campaigns under this program include a campaign to reduce incarceration in Texas and close prison and jail facilities and a campaign to end the criminalization of actions driving mass incarceration. Texas advocates for justice (taj) is a project of directly impacted people striving to end the criminalization of our communities, break down the barriers of reentry from jail and prison in Texas, and demolish the legacy of racism in the criminal justice system. Taj unites formerly incarcerated individuals, their families, people of all faiths, and allies to build safe and resilient communities through organizing, Leadership training, and connections to community resources. Additionally, participatory defense is a community organizing model for people facing charges, their families, and communities to impact the outcome of cases and transform the landscape of power in the court system. Statistically, we measure the participatory defense program on the number of cases we can take on and the total amount of time saved for our clients. We have more than doubled the case count again this year, with a total of 79 cases completed in 2023 (compared to 27 cases in 2022) and 10 more active cases carried into 2024 by the participatory defense organizers in austin and houston. Their tireless work in 2023 saved a total of 1425 years, 10 months, and 16 days for individuals not to be held in cages.

Narrative change - the organization is dedicated to transforming the narrative surrounding criminalization and advocating for non-punitive policies. This is achieved by challenging harmful stereotypes, amplifying the voices of directly impacted individuals, promoting accurate narratives of resilience and hope, building coalitions with diverse partners, conducting research to identify harmful policies, and developing alternative proposals focused on community-based solutions. Through these efforts, we aim to contribute to a more just and equitable society for all.

Immigration programs - this program aims to change the policies and practices that feed the for-profit detention system and result in deportations, impacting individuals and communities across the country, and end criminalization of communities of color, while building a base of impacted people and allies for change. Campaigns under this program include campaigns to end criminal prosecutions of migrants, such as operation lone star, the hutto visitation program, the shut down hutto campaign, and the hutto hotline. In addition, ice out of austin and mujeres luchadoras are projects of individuals directly impacted by detention and crimmigration to redefine safety and build resilient communities through organizing, Leadership training, and connections to community resources.