about US

Witness to Mass Incarceration is dedicated to fostering economic independence for formerly incarcerated individuals, justice-impacted youth, migrant communities, and military veterans. We do this by building a hub of excellence in entrepreneurship, workforce development, innovation, and the arts—supporting small-business creation through The MAP Project; offering comprehensive vocational training through our two-year Art of Tailoring and Fashion Design program; expanding market access through our WITNESS-US e-commerce storytelling marketplace; and creating wage-earning pathways through our human-centered employment platform, WITNESSWorks.

Through our arts and cultural initiatives—including fashion, design, and WITNESSGames—we use creative expression and interactive storytelling to elevate lived experiences, challenge public perceptions, and deepen understanding of the human impact of incarceration.

Our mission is to cultivate economic independence, expand access to sustainable employment, and nurture generational wealth, while reducing recidivism, dismantling systemic barriers, and advancing equity and dignity for all we serve.

ENDING MASS INCARCERATION

Since WITNESS was founded in 2016, we have launched a series of initiatives designed to change the narrative about incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people from invisibility and victimization to empowerment through documentation, leadership training, organizing, and advocacy. 

All our initiatives are intended to make life safer for people who are incarcerated and to help people build successful lives once they are released. We focus on improving conditions of confinement through our work to end sexual violence in confinement. We have designed and are implementing a new approach to reentry. We respond to events which require immediate action, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It is our conviction at Witness that mass incarceration will only be reduced and changed when the nation understands the extent of the injustice and horror of the entire criminal legal system. We believe that once a person sees the human faces of incarcerated people and hears their story, they will be more likely to support alternatives to incarceration.