Below is a quick summary of key issues for Empower Missouri in the upcoming legislative session. If you would like to learn more, please register for our Legislative Preview webinar on December 16th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.  We’re just four weeks away from the start of the 2026 Missouri legislative session. Prefiling began...Lee mas

Hear from Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould (she/her/hers), the Director of Cultural and Political Engagement for Faith in Action, about the need for Clean Slate in our state! Why do you believe Clean Slate to be an important and necessary policy solution for Missouri?  As a Black faith leader, I believe Clean Slate is essential because...Lee mas

When we talk about mass incarceration, the first image that comes to mind for many is a prison cell door, slamming shut. But while Missouri state prisons incarcerate over 23,000 people, the primary form of incarceration that people face is the one closest to home: detention in local and county jails. There are approximately 9,800...Lee mas

In Part 1 of our two-part Weekly Perspective series on youth justice, we talked about the different paths a kid may take through the system. We also discussed the science of why kids are different than adults and should be treated as such by our laws. This fact was underscored in 2012, when the Supreme...Lee mas

Adolescence can be a tough time for many children, between the onset of puberty, peer pressure, and grappling with the many factors beyond a young person’s control, such as family dynamics, food and housing insecurity, and more. Some children may act out in ways that bring them into contact with the youth justice system, or...Lee mas

I traveled as a first-time attendee to the Clean Slate Initiative annual convening in Chicago earlier this month. The convening celebrated the 5th year anniversary for the Clean Slate Initiative launch. The Clean Slate Initiative, a national advocacy organization, is working across the country to pass and implement laws that automate record sealing for people...Lee mas

PURPOSE The Community Justice Intern or Practicum Student will support Empower Missouri’s leadership in advancing fair and equitable criminal justice policies throughout the state. Empower Missouri’s criminal legal system reform work centers on reducing mass incarceration, ending racial disparities in the criminal legal system, and promoting public safety strategies that strengthen communities rather than relying...Lee mas

The 2025 Missouri legislative session ended last week with some controversy and tension as the Senate invoked Previous Question, or “PQ”, to cut off debate. The Senate employed this “nuclear option” to force a vote on two bills that were in direct contradiction to laws passed by the majority of Missouri voters in the November...Lee mas

As an organization focused on ending poverty in our state, Empower Missouri is deeply aware of the individual costs of a criminal record. Limited housing, employment, and education options can leave a person with a lifetime struggling to overcome a past mistake, long after they have served their time. But in Missouri alone, there are...Lee mas