Worth Rises

We work to dismantle the prison industrial complex and end the exploitation of those it touches.

As a nation, we spend more than $80 billion annually to incarcerate 2.2 million people in facilities whose deplorable conditions, subpar treatment services, and ineffective programs engender recidivism. We spend another $100 billion on the courts and police who fill their beds. But the social costs of our failing criminal legal system, such as the harm done to people, families, and communities, ar

e far higher. And these costs are not distributed evenly—their burden is carried largely by those we already detrimentally marginalize: low-income communities of color. But, adding insult to injury, over the past few decades, private, public, and illicit actors have found various ways to financially exploit our criminal legal system and those it touches, victims and prisoners alike. From bail to probation and construction to commissary, these actors have commercialized each segment of our punishment continuum and built an industry that depends on stripping people of their liberties. In doing so, they have converted the justice-involved and their communities into cash machines, capitalizing on crime to create a legal form of human trafficking that targets those our social structures have failed. Our system is now laden with public, private, and illicit actors whose financial incentives conflict with the criminal justice goals of reducing crime and incarceration. Compensated based on volume, these actors are motivated to help expand the criminal legal system and increase government spending rather than contract the system and cut their share of the payouts. To protect their financial interests, they purchase power through legislative lobbying and campaign financing and wield it to protect the legal structures that support their growth. These efforts create an invisible, but fortified barrier to building a criminal legal system that is truly rooted in justice. Thus, while well-meaning reformers struggle to decriminalize drugs, promote alternatives to incarceration, or reduce sentences, their efforts are thwarted by the oft-ignored imbalance of economic and political power between affected communities and those who profit from their victimization, criminalization, and incarceration. Recognizing the intentional obfuscation and abuse of this power, we must reject the perceived legitimacy of the legal, political, and social frameworks these actors shape that artificially celebrate incremental criminal justice reform to avoid radical change.

06/01/2026

WIN! Local organizers in Dane County, Wisconsion leveraged Worth Rises’ new research on the power of free jail communication to get the coounty board to reject a new exploitative telecom contract in a landslide vote of 30-4. This is how it’s done! We’re proud to have been able to support, and we will continue to do so. Swipe through to see how community pressure and collective action brought Dane County one step closer to making free communication possible. Download the report and advocacy resources at ConnectFamiliesNow.com/PowerofFree.

05/29/2026

Prison food is a public health crisis, a labor rights issue, and an environmental disaster. As Eating Behind Bars, a project of , details, incarcerated people are forced to work dangerous kitchen and agricultural jobs for pennies while being served meals that have long-term health consequences and create sstaggering waste.

05/28/2026

Let’s dive into Finding 3: Stronger Families of our new report. Listen to the stories of those who have experienced free prison and jail communication and learn more at ConnectFamiliesNow.com/PowerOfFree.

05/27/2026

FINDING 3: Stronger Families & Community Relationships. Free communication in prisons and jails strengthens the relationships incarcerated people and their families rely on during separation and after release. Families described deeper bonds and mutual support that make successful reentry possible. Learn more at connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.

05/26/2026

As states struggle to carry out lethal injections, Idaho is doubling down by moving to make firing squads its primary method of ex*****on on July 1. But these ex*****ons depend on private sector participation: architects, engineers, and contractors to design and build the death chamber first. Help us stop them. Take action now at worthrises.org/firingsquad.

05/22/2026

The same corporations that helped fund Trump’s return to power — private prison operators, deportation-flight contractors, and electronic monitoring firms — are now collecting billions to detain and surveil immigrants. It’s a closed loop: donate, then collect. Their business model depends on keeping people locked up.

05/21/2026

Let’s dive into Finding 2: Financial Relief of our new report. Listen to the stories of those who have experienced free prison and jail communication and learn more at ConnectFamiliesNow.com/PowerOfFree.

05/20/2026

FINDING 2: Financial Relief. Families have already saved $622 million thanks to free prison and jail communication policies. They used that money for groceries, rent, and futures they couldn’t plan before. Learn more at ConnectFamiliesNow.com/PowerOfFree.

05/19/2026

More than 50% of people in prison or jail have some mental health need in a system where treatment remains under-treated and inadequate. Read more about how the prison industry profits off people’s bodies, minds, and wellbeing in The Prison Industry: How It Works and Who Profits at worthrises.org/theprisonindustry.

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