DID YOU KNOW…?
The United States holds 5% of the world’s population, but holds 25% of the world’s prison population
15 million people touch the criminal justice system each year
7 million Americans are under some form of correctional control
20 million Americans have felony convictions
100 million Americans have some kind of criminal record
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Science Daily, American Enterprise Institute
WHAT WE KNOW…
The Douglass Project works to highlight shared humanity. Inside participants across numerous facilities report positive changes in self-perception, confidence, and communication skills. They reported feeling more respected, human, and alive, and recognized personal growth and development. By providing incarcerated individuals with opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and personal development, the program has paved the way for meaningful and lasting change in the lives of those it touches.
95% of inside participants surveyed say that participating in the Douglass Project has made them more confident in their ability to make good choices, 91% say that the Douglass Project has helped them create more positive relationships with others, and 100% say that their communication skills have improved.
For outside participants, these visits deepened already existing empathy for incarcerated individuals, helped people to reconsider programming availability, opportunities for development, and the conditions of confinement in prison, and allowed participants to see the passion and dedication that incarcerated individuals have.
“Every voter should seriously consider participating in this type of program, where you have the opportunity to witness life behind prison walls. It is extremely eye opening to hear from people whose life experiences have been so incredibly different from my own. I believe that every person is just one mistake or one bad decision away from a completely different outcome. I consider myself very fortunate, and I hope my prison visit was of some small benefit to the inmates I met, who were able to teach me so much in such a brief amount of time.”
“While I’ve always felt empathy toward the prison population, this visit really helped to further humanize them and their experiences, which I appreciated.”
“I now think that I am capable, am worthy, am important... [and] that I should define my story instead of allowing the misconception of a prisoner’s life/story to be told by social media and television.”
“[The Douglass Project] has given me purpose and something to look forward to. I feel confident in myself to speak.”