Executive Summary

Root & Rebound creates second chance opportunities by restoring and protecting the rights, dignity, and hope of currently and formerly incarcerated people, and all those impacted by the criminal justice system. One in three Americans have been arrested, convicted, or incarcerated and are subject to over 40,000 legal barriers impacting aspects of life including employment, housing, and family reunification. With a mission to support people navigating reentry and reduce the harms perpetuated by mass incarceration, Root & Rebound provides legal, educational, systems change and narrative change services with and for this community. Many of its staff, including the Executive Director and Board Chair, have lived experiences of incarceration. R&R sees beyond the circumstances of a person’s life to the underlying systemic oppressions that may have impacted their situation.

Root & Rebound provides a broad range of free legal support to justice-impacted people through a reentry legal hotline, legal clinics, and direct representation. Support ranges from know-your-rights advice to representation in court cases. Through community education programs they train system-impacted individuals and service providers, and have created tools and resources for navigating reentry in the absence of an advocate. While annually serving more than 2,000 people directly, R&R reaches tens of thousands of people through systems and narrative change work to reform the criminal legal system. This includes documenting barriers needing policy reform, amplifying the voices of formerly incarcerated people, and partnering with clients, legislators, and other partners to craft and successfully advance solutions through impact litigation and policy change.

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