National Organizations

1. The Sentencing Project (sentencingproject.org) – Advocates for criminal justice reform and provides research on incarceration trends and racial disparities.

2. Vera Institute of Justice (vera.org) – Works to improve justice systems, focusing on alternatives to incarceration and youth justice programs.

3. YouthBuild USA (youthbuild.org) – Offers education, job training, and leadership programs for low-income young people.

4. Boys & Girls Clubs of America (bgca.org) – Provides mentorship, educational programs, and recreational activities for at-risk youth.

5. National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) (nicjr.org) – Develops community-based solutions to reduce incarceration and violence.

Programs for Youth with Incarcerated Parents

6. Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi Program (bbbs.org) – Mentorship program specifically for children of incarcerated parents.

7. Sesame Street in Communities – Incarceration Resources (sesamestreetincommunities.org) – Provides child-friendly resources to help families cope with parental incarceration.

8. Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree Program (prisonfellowship.org) – Supports children with incarcerated parents by providing holiday gifts, mentorship, and summer camp opportunities.

Reentry & Family Support Services

9. National Fatherhood Initiative (fatherhood.org) – Helps fathers, including those formerly incarcerated, reconnect with their families.

10. The Osborne Association (osborneny.org) – Provides family support, reentry services, and youth programs in New York and beyond.

11. Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) (famm.org) – Advocates for sentencing reform and supports families affected by mass incarceration.

Policy & Research Organizations

1. The Sentencing Project (sentencingproject.org) – Provides research and policy recommendations on criminal justice reform, racial disparities, and alternatives to incarceration.

2. Vera Institute of Justice (vera.org) – Offers data-driven solutions for justice reform, focusing on policing, incarceration, and youth justice.

3. Prison Policy Initiative (prisonpolicy.org) – Conducts research on mass incarceration and provides state-by-state data for policymakers.

4. Urban Institute – Justice Policy Center (urban.org) – Analyzes policies related to criminal justice, reentry, and youth programs.

5. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (nij.ojp.gov) – The U.S. Department of Justice’s research arm, offering studies on crime prevention, juvenile justice, and rehabilitation.

Advocacy & Reform Organizations

6. Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) (eji.org) – Advocates for criminal justice reform, ending excessive punishment, and supporting impacted families.

7. Campaign for Youth Justice (CYJ) (cfyj.org) – Focuses on ending the prosecution of youth in the adult criminal justice system.

8. Justice Policy Institute (JPI) (justicepolicy.org) – Provides research and advocacy for reducing incarceration rates and promoting community-based alternatives.

9. Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) (juvjustice.org) – Works with policymakers to improve juvenile justice policies at the state and federal levels.

10. National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) (njjn.org) – Supports advocacy groups working on juvenile justice reform across the U.S.

Resources for Legislative & Policy Change

11. Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center (csgjusticecenter.org) – Helps state and local governments implement data-driven criminal justice policies.

12. National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) – Criminal & Juvenile Justice Program (ncsl.org) – Provides policy analysis and legislative tracking for state lawmakers.

13. American Bar Association (ABA) – Criminal Justice Section (americanbar.org) – Offers legal resources and policy recommendations on justice reform.

14. Public Welfare Foundation (publicwelfare.org) – Funds initiatives that advance justice reform, youth diversion programs, and community-led policy changes.

Policy & Systemic Issues

1. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – Michelle Alexander

A groundbreaking book on the racial disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system and mass incarceration as a form of racial caste.

2. Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration—and How to Achieve Real Reform – John F. Pfaff

Challenges common narratives about mass incarceration and offers data-driven solutions for reform.

3. Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs – Johann Hari

Explores the origins and consequences of the War on Drugs, with personal stories and policy analysis.

4. Punishment Without Crime: How Our Massive Misdemeanor System Traps the Innocent and Makes America More Unequal – Alexandra Natapoff

Examines how misdemeanor charges disproportionately impact marginalized communities and contribute to mass incarceration.

5. Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System – Alec Karakatsanis

A critical look at the legal system’s role in perpetuating mass incarceration and inequality.

Personal Narratives & Memoirs

6. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson

A memoir by a civil rights attorney who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, focusing on wrongful convictions and juvenile justice.

7. Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope – Albert Woodfox

The powerful memoir of one of the Angola Three, who spent over 40 years in solitary confinement for a crime he didn’t commit.

8. Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison – Shaka Senghor

A first-hand account of a man’s journey through prison and his transformation after being incarcerated for murder at 19.

9. A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom – Brittany K. Barnett

A memoir by a lawyer who fought to free people serving life sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.

10. Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women – Susan Burton

The story of a formerly incarcerated woman who became a leading advocate for women reentering society.

Books on At-Risk Youth & Juvenile Justice

11. No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court – Edward Humes

An inside look at the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles, exploring how the system often fails youth.

12. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates – Wes Moore

The true story of two boys with the same name—one who became a Rhodes Scholar, the other imprisoned for life.

13. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents – Isabel Wilkerson

Examines how systemic caste systems, including the justice system, shape inequality in America.

Films & Documentaries

Mass Incarceration & Criminal Justice Reform

1. 13th (2016, Netflix) – Ava DuVernay

A documentary exposing how the 13th Amendment allowed for modern slavery through mass incarceration.

2. The House I Live In (2012) – Eugene Jarecki

Investigates the U.S. War on Drugs and its impact on families and communities.

3. The Sentence (2018, HBO) – Rudy Valdez

A deeply personal documentary about a woman sentenced to 15 years in prison for a minor drug offense under mandatory sentencing laws.

4. Time (2020, Amazon Prime) – Garrett Bradley

Follows a woman’s decades-long fight to free her husband from a 60-year prison sentence for a robbery.

5. When They See Us (2019, Netflix) – Ava DuVernay

A dramatized miniseries about the Central Park Five, five Black and Latino teenagers wrongfully convicted of assault.

Juvenile Justice & At-Risk Youth

6. Kids for Cash (2013) – Robert May

A shocking documentary about judges who sentenced children to for-profit prisons in exchange for kickbacks.

7. The Central Park Five (2012, PBS) – Ken Burns

A documentary about the wrongful conviction of five Black and Latino teenagers in New York City.

8. They Call Us Monsters (2016) – Ben Lear

Follows juvenile offenders sentenced to life in prison and questions whether they deserve a second chance.

9. The Interrupters (2011) – Steve James

Documents a group of former gang members working to mediate conflicts in Chicago and prevent youth violence.

10. Lost for Life (2013) – Joshua Rofé

Explores the stories of juveniles serving life sentences without parole and their fight for rehabilitation.