In-Prison Programs
Insight Prison Project: Runs VOEGs in 12 state prisons, 3 county jails, several reentry centers, and 1 juvenile facility; recognized for its trauma-informed restorative justice model.
The Last Mile: Offers coding and software training in 32 classrooms across 8 states; over 1,000 graduates with a 0% recidivism rate among program completers.
Bard Prison Initiative: Operates in 6 New York prisons, serving 300 incarcerated students annually; recidivism rate among alumni is under 4%.
Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP): Based in Texas, it has served over 2,000 men since 2004; boasts a 100% employment rate within 90 days of release and recidivism under 10%.
Prison Arts Collective: Partners with California universities to run arts programs in over a dozen correctional facilities, serving hundreds annually.
Education Justice Project (EJP): University of Illinois program offering college courses at Danville Correctional Center; serves about 100 students per year, with alumni frequently transferring to 4-year institutions post-release.
Freedom Reads: Places curated micro-libraries in prisons nationwide and facilitates author discussions; active in 34 facilities as of 2023.
Defy Ventures: Offers “CEO of Your New Life” entrepreneurship courses in 9 states; more than 8,000 participants have completed the program with a recidivism rate around 8%.
Reentry Programs
Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): Operates in 30+ cities; serves over 10,000 people annually with transitional employment and support; participants show 22% lower recidivism within 3 years.
Homeboy Industries: Serves over 8,000 individuals annually in Los Angeles; offers job training, therapy, and support services; regarded as the largest gang intervention and reentry program in the world.
Fortune Society: Based in New York City, it serves 9,000+ people annually; offers housing, mental health services, and employment programs.
Safer Foundation: Chicago-based organization serving more than 5,000 individuals each year with workforce reentry programs; offers several specialized transitional housing facilities.
Project Rebound: Active in 14 California State University campuses; helps formerly incarcerated students enroll and succeed in college.
STRIVE Future Leaders: Focuses on young adults (18–24) with justice involvement; available in multiple cities and serves over 1,200 people annually.
A New Way of Life: Based in South Los Angeles, this program provides housing, legal services, and reentry support for women; has served over 1,400 women and their families.
Ready4Work (Operation New Hope): Nationally recognized program based in Florida with expansion partners in multiple states; provides case management, job training, and mentoring with recidivism rates 50% below the national average.
Jobs for the Future’s Returning Citizens Program: National initiative that links returning citizens to career pathways and policy advocacy; supports large-scale employer partnerships across multiple states.