Just Communities Arizona

In 2024, our Expungement Advocates engaged in a more than 1520 outreach activities (flyering, street outreach, or presentations). In total, they reached over 2,000 individual contacts. We partnered with Hey Joe Media to produce two short videos featuring formerly incarcerated individuals talking about their experiences of losing and then regaining (or not) the right to vote. We timed the release to coincide with the 2024 election to capitalize on the attention being paid to the campaigns and highlight the issue of disenfranchisement. The videos then direct people to Reclaim Your Future to begin the process of having their rights restored. The videos were disseminated via social media and shared with other partners. We also paid for a 30 day ad campaign on YouTube.

Our pilot incubator project produced encouraging results. Survey responses confirm that participants in the incubator mirror the makeup of the neighborhood. The majority (nearly 70%) were BIPOC. The majority of respondents (56%) have been personally impacted by the criminal punishment system. The reported impacts were overwhelmingly positive: 88% said the project made them feel safer in their neighborhood 75% said it helped them get to know their neighbors better 87.6% said the project would contribute to greater health and wellness