ADVOCACY
Through storytelling, legislative advocacy, community education, and strategic partnerships, GRIP advances a vision of justice rooted in healing rather than punishment. Alumni share their lived experience to influence policy and systems change, ensuring that rehabilitation, redemption, and human dignity remain part of the public conversation and the state budget.
Our engagement strategy centers on alignment with GRIP’s four guiding principles:
- Restorative justice
- Decarceration
- Improved prison conditions and quality of life for incarcerated people
- Amplified voices and increased agency of incarcerated people
Partnerships
Transformative Programming Works
Transformative Programming Works (TPW) is a statewide network of organizations and individuals committed to the healing and transformative power of in-prison programs. GRIP co-founded the coalition 10 years ago with the aim of reducing isolation among providers, formerly incarcerated people, and families affected by incarceration. It seeks to address shared challenges such as:
- Burnout
- Limited resources
- Restricted facility access
- Exclusion from decision-making
TPW fosters collaboration, idea-sharing, and collective advocacy to build statewide influence.
GRIP founder Jacques Verduin helped activate this effort through early legislative advocacy that led to state support for community-based rehabilitation programs, including the Innovative Grants Initiative. TPW now helps coordinate communication between correctional agencies and nonprofit providers within this growing ecosystem of restorative, community-based prison programming.
California Restorative Justice Policy Coalition
The California Restorative Justice Policy Coalition (CARJPC) is a statewide network of practitioners, advocates, and community organizations dedicated to protecting, promoting, and expanding community-centered restorative justice programs. Their primary mission is to dismantle punitive approaches to harm, remove legislative barriers to restorative practices, and safeguard the integrity of these programs across California.
California Justice Coalition
The California Justice Coalition (CJC) unites community-based organizations, non-profits, consultants, and lobbyists to advance transformative criminal justice reform in California. Together, we share essential resources, advocate for impactful policy changes, and work to stop legislation that threatens to increase the power and scope of incarceration and extreme punishment in the state.