OUR MISSION
Root & Rebound’s mission is to restore power and resources to the families and communities most harmed by mass incarceration through legal advocacy, public education, policy reform and litigation—a model rooted in the needs and expertise of people who are directly impacted. We work to increase access to justice and create pathways to success for people in reentry from prison and jail, helping them fulfill their greatest potential as engaged members of families and communities.
95%
of callers say that our Reentry Legal Hotline has helped them resolve legal issues related to their justice involvement.
5,500
system-impacted people were provided with direct legal support on over 6,500 legal matters.
6,900
directly impacted people, family members, and advocates trained about the collateral consequences of justice involvement.
90,000+
people provided legal resources, training, and support since Root & Rebound’s founding in 2013.
Project Updates & News
About Root & Rebound
Root & Rebound consists of a team of attorneys and advocates. We use legal tools, resources, and education to protect the rights of some of the most discriminated people in modern day America—people returning home from prison and jail. Root & Rebound works to accomplish its mission through three key programs: direct legal services with social services support, legal and community education, high-impact policy advocacy.
We are proponents of collaboration across the reentry sector and pursue efforts to increase resources and communication among California service providers. The organization was founded in October of 2013 . As of August 2014, Root & Rebound is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit, making all donations fully tax deductible under law.
“Root & Rebound, for me, represents a second chance and freedom. I happened to stumble across the organization at a hard time, when I was trying to get a clearance to become a teacher, and was told that, because of my record, I could not.””
“To me Root & Rebound was priceless. The work that they do there for formerly incarcerated people to help give us a chance, there’s no word for it. The fight and the passion is phenomenal.”
“At one point I wasn’t optimistic, not as far as getting my son back … but now I have help and I can see the finish line...I thank you guys for genuinely caring about people going through similar situations to mine.”
Donate to Root & Rebound
Today the U.S. criminal justice system controls the lives of 6.6 million human beings – by either imprisoning them or keeping them stuck in the revolving door of probation and parole. That’s a ridiculous number – much, much larger than any country on Earth.
Our goal is to dramatically reduce the number of people who are needlessly trapped in the system. We will do this by changing the laws, policies, and practices that perpetuate injustice. Key to our strategy is changing hearts and minds to support real change.
We are building an alliance of influential leaders in business, government, entertainment, sports, and culture to use our shared resources, energy, and platforms for massive impact. Our initial focus will be disabling the revolving door of probation and parole.