Partakers
About Partakers
Partakers does not make a choice between personal responsibility and social justice; we believe the two are intimately interwoven. We cross the bridge into prisons and work with prisoners in an effort to advance their healing transformation and rehabilitation.
We firmly believe the incarcerated must be given the opportunity to heal and the tools necessary to repair holes they’ve torn in the social fabric. Few people realize that 97% of prisoners return to society and 40-66% of those released subsequently return to prison. In light of these statistics, it is crucial that prison time be used to rehabilitate and educate prisoners so that they may lead productive, even inspiring lives as leaders and role models when they return to their communities.
Partakers volunteers work to cross boundaries of race, class, criminal history, age, and social status. Mentoring and tutoring prisoners brings us closer to the experience of people who are marginalized and oppressed and advances the healing transformation of prisoners and volunteers alike.
We seek to make free citizens aware of the injustices of the criminal “justice” system, emphasizing the inherent racism of our prison system (over 70% of prisoners in America are minorities) as well as the role of addiction in prisoners’ lives (well over 80% are addicts). In addition to working directly with prisoners, we advocate for criminal justice reform through education, lobbying, preaching and “calls to action”.
Partakers has made a significant impact on individuals and larger society. We believe that without compassion there is no justice. As a faith-based organization, we support every individual’s inherent worth and their capacity to grow and change. We believe our country can advance a system of justice that focuses on restoring the offender to the community while addressing larger systemic issues of poverty, racism, and inequality in education.
Goals of Partakers
- Provide opportunities and support for inmates to obtain four-year college degrees in prison.
- Advocate for humane prison environments and sensible programs that foster accountability, responsibility and rehabilitation.
- Encourage prisoners to exercise their authority as members of a community both while in prison and in the neighborhoods to which they will return.
- Serve as a source of education and information on the prison system and on issues of criminal justice and criminal justice reform.
- Negotiate with prison authorities to increase the reach of educational and rehabilitation programming for prisoners.
- Recruit, train, support and supervise community volunteers and prisoner volunteers to serve as models, mentors and leaders.
- Provide individuals, faith communities, seminarians, and graduate students with information, access, supervision and support in prison settings.
- Initiate and maintain rehabilitative programs.
- Foster trust and mutual respect among partakers.
- Provide educational opportunities to heighten the citizenry’s knowledge of criminal justice issues.
- Seek financial and human resource support to sustain and enhance Partakers’ programs and initiatives.