“Diversion” is a broad term that refers to the many forms of exit ramps that can divert people from the criminal legal system. Instead of punitive punishment, diversion targets the underlying problems that may have contributed to the criminal behavior, such as poverty, substance use, mental health challenges, and more.   Diversion programs can significantly decrease...Read More

Among Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are the lowest and arguably most important necessities humans require to exist; physiological needs. These include basic essentials such as air, water, food, sleep and shelter. Required needs. Not optional. Required. Housing is required for humans to survive, so why do we treat it as a luxury for those privileged...Read More

When pre-filing for the 2023 Legislative Session opened in December, I braced myself for bills that are filed every year, that we fight every year, and that, for the most part, we’ve managed to help keep out of Missouri law. Our team monitors closely, sorting bills by coalition and starting to research the potential implications...Read More

The Missouri legislature is seeking to pass some significant changes to our criminal justice system this session. In the months ahead, you are likely to hear some chatter about a renewed interest in “Raise the Age” legislation, so we wanted to provide you with a quick primer on the issue.  What are “Raise the Age”...Read More

As we wrap up the year, we’re already deep into planning for the next legislative session that starts in January. Our December Friday Forum covered the highlights of what we’re expecting and prioritizing this coming year, but today, we want to give you a deeper dive into some topics that we expect will come up...Read More

Clean Slate legislation has been filed in Missouri’s  house and senate, the result of a concerted push by advocates around the state, including Empower Missouri, who believe that the time is right for automatic record sealing. Automatic expungement means that anyone who qualifies to have their record sealed* would receive it automatically, without having to...Read More

On Tuesday evening, I went to the prison in Bonne Terre to stand in solidarity with our colleagues at Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty in opposing the execution of Kevin Johnson. I honestly didn’t attend in my official capacity as a staff member at Empower Missouri. As I had learned the details of...Read More

The language we use to describe systems of oppression greatly shapes our understanding of these systems and the people and communities impacted by them. This is especially true when it comes to the criminal legal system and our understanding of justice, or the lack thereof. Advocates around the country are engaging in conversation around the...Read More

Over the last six weeks, we have described Missouri’s practice of outsourcing probation and supervision services to private businesses and introduced why it is a problem and why we seek to make this a priority. For another brief summary of the issue, Human Rights Watch produced a short video describing how for-profit companies impact us....Read More

In part one of this series, we provided a brief introduction to the concept of private probation – the practice of outsourcing probation services for minor and low-level offenses to private businesses. In the second part of this series, we will explore  the issue in more depth, and answer two questions: how serious is the...Read More