Learn more about our partners below.
American Friends Service Committee
Appalachian Prison Book Project
Jefferson County WV NAACP
The Jefferson County WV NAACP Branch, established in 1946, has been a strong catalyst in the community and state for civil rights and social justice in that history. Over the past 2 years the branch has advocated a 50% reduction in WV jail and prison incarceration. This is a large goal, but even more is needed to end mass incarceration.
Toward this long term goal, a committee of the local branch meets to plan local advocacy monthly and participates in the Statewide Coalition meetings and criminal justice reform agendas. The WV state NAACP convention adopted and confirmed the 50% incarceration reduction goal at its recent conventions in resolutions proposed by our branch.
Mountain State Justice
Mountain State Justice opened its doors in 1996 to pursue impact and significant litigation on behalf of low-income West Virginians. Since that time, we have provided free legal services to thousands of individuals fighting to protect their families, their homes, their health and safety, and their livelihoods.
Since our founding, we have kept our practice flexible to meet the changing needs of low-income West Virginians facing mistreatment by powerful institutions—from banks and car dealers, to schools, state hospitals, and prisons. Criminal justice reform is central to our mission of fighting systemic injustice in the Mountain State.
American Civil Liberties Union
The ACLU is our nation’s guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. In its more than five decades of existence, the ACLU-WV has become widely recognized as the state’s foremost advocate of individual rights.
The ACLU of West Virginia is at an incredibly important cross-roads. The election of Donald Trump and the political environment in West Virginia present significant threats to civil liberties that cannot be taken lightly. However, the intense attack on civil liberties has caused a wave of support for our cause and a dramatic rise in civic engagement. The challenges facing civil liberties in West Virginia are undeniably acute. However, the opportunities to build a movement for a more just and free country are equally acute.
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy
The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy is a policy research organization that is nonpartisan, nonprofit, and statewide.
The Center’s research and analysis is designed to support informed public dialog and policy in West Virginia. The Center consults and collaborates with other organizations to ensure that its analyses are relevant and timely and strives to be a knowledgeable and respected source of credible information on public budget and fiscal issues for policymakers, advocates, media, and the public.
The Center participates in a national network of similar organizations that already exist in over half the states as part of the State Priorities Partnership, sponsored by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and the Economic Analysis and Research Network, an initiative of the Economic Policy Institute.
West Virginia Council of Churches
The West Virginia Council of Churches is an ecumenical organization that provides a Christian witness on public issues and engages in cooperative mission and service for all West Virginians. The Council is one of the oldest institutions in the state of West Virginia, tracing our origins back to 1880 and currently includes 15 member body denominations. Over the years, the West Virginia Council of Churches has been active in areas of social justice, health and economic issues, legislative issues, and disaster response.
West Virginia Family of Convicted People
WVFCP seeks to identify, support and lift the voices of people who have been directly affected by our brutal system of mass incarceration so that they can lead the movement to dismantle it.
West Virginia Reentry Councils
The West Virginia Reentry Councils were established by the West Virginia Council of Churches in an effort to bring concerned citizens and available resources together to assist those rejoining the community after incarceration. While each community has its own needs and each council has its own goals, these councils focus on issues such as housing, food stamps, employment, transportation, education and stigma. We invite those affected by incarceration to attend the meetings in their region. Anyone willing to donate their time to this cause is welcome.