How to Get Involved in Changing the Criminal Justice System

On our new special episode of VICE on HBO, Fixing the System, founder Shane Smith went deep into the American prison system with President Barack Obama and former attorney general Eric Holder. With unprecedented access during a historical presidential visit, VICE spoke to the prisoners who are most affected by the state of America's drug laws.

After filming Fixing the System, it was clear that joblessness among released inmates is one of the main drivers of recidivism. To help combat this problem, VICE has decided to partner with the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)—the country's leading nonprofit helping the formerly incarcerated find employment—to help encourage businesses to hire people with criminal records.

CEO will be working with VICE to assess its own hiring policies and work to open job opportunities for the formerly incarcerated, designing specialized employee recruitment, on-boarding, and training programs to ensure their long-term success at the company.

If you'd like to learn more, below are links to some of the organizations we spoke to in Fixing the System, as well as others who are working to enact reform. We urge you to get involved.

Center for Employment Opportunities
"CEO offers comprehensive employment services exclusively for people with criminal records."

Equal Justice Initiative
"The Justice Center a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government."

Correctional Association of New York
"The Correctional Association of New York is an independent non-profit organization that advocates for a more humane and effective criminal justice system and a more just and equitable society."

Ban the Box
"The Ban the Box campaign challenges the stereotypes of people with conviction histories by asking employers to choose their best candidates based on job skills and qualifications, not past convictions."

National Reentry Resource Center
"The National Reentry Resource Center provides education, training, and technical assistance to states, tribes, territories, local governments, service providers, non-profit organizations, and corrections institutions working on prisoner reentry."

Anti-Recidivism Coalition
"The mission of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) is to change lives and create safe, healthy communities by providing a support and advocacy network for, and comprised of, formerly incarcerated men and women."

Criminal Law Reform Project
"The Criminal Law Reform Project seeks to end harsh policies and racial inequities in the criminal justice system."

The Legal Aid Society
"The Legal Aid Society is dedicated to one simple but powerful belief: that no New Yorker should be denied access to justice because of poverty."

Coalition for Public Safety
"The Coalition for Public Safety, together with its partners, is the largest national effort working to make our criminal justice system smarter, fairer and more cost effective at the federal, state and local level."

Right on Crime "Right On Crime is the one-stop source for conservative ideas on criminal justice."

JustLeadershipUSA
"JustLeadershipUSA is dedicated to cutting the US correctional population in half by 2030, while reducing crime."

Cut50
"#cut50 is a national bipartisan initiative to safely and smartly reduce our incarcerated population by 50 percent over the next 10 years."

Vera Institute of Justice
" The Vera Institute of Justice combines expertise in research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance to help leaders in government and civil society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety."

FAMM - Families Against Mandatory Minimums
"FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization fighting for smart sentencing laws that protect public safety."

To read more about the state of the American prison system, check out VICE's series, America Incarcerated.