Approximately 3.7 million people in the United States are on community supervision (probation or parole, also referred to as community corrections), which is nearly double the number of people who are incarcerated in prison or jail. Despite the large number of people on supervision, the many problems associated with parole and probation do not receive...Read More

Yesterday evening, Governor Parson vetoed SB 189, a criminal justice omnibus bill that included a number of provisions that Empower Missouri worked on last session.  You can read his veto statement here. This was the only bill passed during the 2023 legislative session to be vetoed by the governor.  We are deeply disappointed in this...Read More

Join us for Advocacy 101 + Coalition Introductions. The first hour of each session will be spent familiarizing ourselves with the legislative process in Missouri and learning how we can impact policy change to end poverty. The final 30 minutes will be training geared specifically to the policy implications of our three coalitions: Affordable Housing,...Read More

Are you interested in learning more about the Missouri Clean Slate campaign? Join us for one of two Advocate Orientations to learn about the need for automatic expungement, key Clean Slate messaging points, and different ways to get involved in the campaign. Whether you’re just hearing up us, or if you’ve been following the campaign...Read More

Are you interested in learning more about the Missouri Clean Slate campaign? Join us for one of two Advocate Orientations to learn about the need for automatic expungement, key Clean Slate messaging points, and different ways to get involved in the campaign. Whether you’re just hearing up us, or if you’ve been following the campaign...Read More

The Community Justice Coalition (CJC), is a multi-sector team of dedicated advocates who envision a future without mass incarceration. Through deep policy research, field work and legislative advocacy, we battle the harms of mass incarceration in our communities. You can sign up for the Community Justice Coalition to receive email updates. We invite you to join...Read More

The Community Justice Coalition (CJC), is a multi-sector team of dedicated advocates who envision a future without mass incarceration. Through deep policy research, field work and legislative advocacy, we battle the harms of mass incarceration in our communities. You can sign up for the Community Justice Coalition to receive email updates. We invite you to join...Read More

The 2023 legislative session will end today at 6PM, so there’s only a few hours remaining for the legislature to pass any final bills before the clock runs out.  There will be several opportunities over the next week to debrief the session with Empower Missouri.  On Monday, look for a special email with our end-of-session...Read More

We’re headed into the final two weeks of Missouri’s legislative session, which means that legislators from every corner of the state are in a mad dash to amend their bills onto any related piece of legislation that is moving. More than 2,200 pieces of legislation were filed this session across both chambers, and with ten...Read More

Missouri is in the midst of reckoning with one of the many long term consequences of mass incarceration: a rapidly growing number of elders incarcerated in state prisons. The aging prison population primarily consists of individuals who received lengthy sentences for offenses committed decades ago. Increasing numbers of elderly incarcerated people leads to significant increases...Read More