Reflecting on “Captive State”: How to Take Action

To register to vote in Louisiana, visit the Louisiana Secretary of State website.Opens in new tab

To register to vote in other states, visit vote.gov.Opens in new tab 

Write a letter to your legislator requesting that the “inmate exclusion policy” be lifted so that Medicare and Medicaid benefits are available to incarcerated people. To find your legislators, visit congress.gov.Opens in new tab 

“Banning the box”—the checkbox or question regarding conviction history—is one way to give formerly incarcerated people a fair chance at getting a job. To learn more or take the pledge, visit bantheboxcampaign.orgOpens in new tab.  

Help the Sentencing Project promote a more humane and equitable US criminal legal system by working to change laws at the state and federal level. To learn more or sign a petition, visit sentencingproject.org.Opens in new tab

The Promise of Justice Initiative seeks to end forced farm labor at Louisiana’s state prisons through the End Plantation Prisons project. To learn more or sign a petition, visit labor.promiseofjustice.org.Opens in new tab

Goodwill Industries support reentry programs for formerly incarcerated citizens, including through donations. To learn more about Goodwill’s reentry programs and where you can donate, visit goodwill.orgOpens in new tab. 

Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners supplies books and print materials to incarcerated people in Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas. To learn more, visit lab2p.orgOpens in new tab. To find out about prison book programs in other areas, visit prisonbookprogram.org.Opens in new tab

The First 72+ assists recently returned citizens as they transition back to home life. To learn more and find out how you can get involved, visit first72plus.org.Opens in new tab

Operation Restoration helps formerly incarcerated women as they transition back to their communities. To learn more or to donate, visit or-nola.orgOpens in new tab.

Innocence & Justice Louisiana (formerly Innocence Project New Orleans) works to free incarcerated people who are innocent and people who are serving unjust sentences in Louisiana. To learn more or and support their clients, visit justicelouisiana.org.Opens in new tab

Read a detailed report on incarcerated workers published by the American Civil Liberties Union at aclu.orgOpens in new tab.

Learn more about solitary confinement through the perspective of survivors by watching the documentary Torture in Our Name, produced by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT): nrcat.org.Opens in new tab

The Prison Policy Initiative is a nonpartisan organization that publishes research on incarceration in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and among Native American populations at prisonpolicy.orgOpens in new tab. 

The Vera Institute of Justice has created an interactive map with information on jails, prisons, juvenile detention centers, and immigrant detention centers across Louisiana at vera.org.Opens in new tab

Organizations like Common Justice in New York City use restorative justice practices to hold people who commit crimes accountable outside of the incarceration system. Learn more at resources.commonjustice.org.Opens in new tab

Incarceration Transparency is an organization dedicated to publicly sharing data and research to address significant harms from conditions of incarceration. They have compiled a database of deaths in jails and prisons in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Alabama at https://incarcerationtransparency.orgOpens in new tab.  

The Inside Influence is a volunteer organization through the Federal Bureau of Prisons that trains incarcerated people in the skills and career training needed for life post-release. Learn more at volunteer.reentry.gov.Opens in new tab

Court Watch NOLA tracks, observes, and reports on thousands of court cases every year, aiming to ensure that all members of the criminal legal system do their jobs fairly and transparently. Learn more at courtwatchnola.org.Opens in new tab

Black and Pink National supports and advocates for LGBTQIA2S+ people and people with HIV/AIDS who are incarcerated. The organization operates a national pen-pal program that matches people outside of prison with people who are incarcerated. Learn more at blackandpink.org.Opens in new tab

Prison Fellowship is a volunteer-driven Christian organization that provides faith education for incarcerated people, advocating for restorative justice and conducting programs that support rehabilitation and reentry. Learn more at prisonfellowship.org.Opens in new tab

The Center for Restorative Approaches (CRA) is an organization that uses restorative justice practices to repair harm and strengthen relationships in New Orleans. The CRA works with schools, organizations, and the criminal legal system, and provides training to volunteers who wish to become facilitators. Learn more at thecra.net.Opens in new tab

Louisiana Survivors for Reform (LSR) is a coalition of crime survivors, victims’ families, and organizations creating change through policy, education, and community. LSR hold monthly meetings open to all people interested in changing the criminal legal system; visit promiseofjustice.org.Opens in new tab

Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) is a Louisiana advocacy group that works on reforming the criminal legal system and assisting people who have experienced incarceration. It focuses on voting rights and access to healthcare, housing and employment. Learn more at voiceoftheexperienced.orgOpens in new tab.

The Angolite is an award-winning magazine about prison life and the criminal legal system written, edited, and published by people incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. To subscribe, visit this linkOpens in new tab. 

The United Nations has labeled solitary confinement as torture. The national Unlock the Box Campaign focuses on ending the use of solitary confinement in US incarceration facilities within the next 10 years. To learn more, visit unlocktheboxcampaign.orgOpens in new tab.

The LA Stop Solitary Coalition is a group of solitary survivors, community groups, and faith-based organizations working together to end solitary confinement in Louisiana jails and prisons by 2028. To learn more, visit lastopsolitary.org.Opens in new tab

Just Detention International (JDI) is an organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention through advocacy, education, and providing support for survivors. To learn more, visit justdetention.org.Opens in new tab