About Us
“In the long run, the people are our only appeal. The only ones who can free us are ourselves.”
— Assata Shakur
Our Community
Founded in 2019, the Illinois Alliance for Reentry & Justice is an organization that serves as the network facilitator dedicated to dreaming and remaking justice into systems of care and accountability that serve everyone’s needs. By uniting currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, those directly impact, service providers, advocates, stakeholders, and allies, ILARJ fosters a comprehensive, 360-degree perspective on justice revolutionized and remade.
ILARJ is led entirely by individuals from BIPOC, marginalized, and directly impacted communities — people whose lived experience informs every facet of our work. This grounding in firsthand knowledge is not just foundational; it’s our greatest strength.
Complementing this internal leadership is a robust, statewide network of
225
Outside Partners
1,112
Incarcerated Partners
and
in
36
Illinois Department of Corrections Facilities
alongside reentry organizations, legal advocates, and social justice groups.
This network is the foundation of our work to disrupt the historical harms caused by criminalization and incarceration. As we imagine and implement abolitionist strategies, we are intentionally expanding our ecosystem to include labor unions, public health institutions, mutual aid networks, and academic partners committed to co-governance and participatory design.
We engage others by centering lived experience, offering strategic collaboration rooted in equity, and creating shared spaces for visioning, feedback, and accountability. Our model invites partners not just to support our work, but to transform theirs—aligning with a collaborative, community focused future where system-impacted people lead, decide, and build.
Our system-impacted community members are not passive recipients of reform — they are essential co-strategists shaping the solutions, policies, and priorities of today.
Our Team
The Illinois Alliance for Reentry & Justice is proud to be led by directly-impacted advocates, artists, and community leaders. We are fully committed to creating opportunities for persons leaving carceral settings. The majority of ILARJ employees are directly-impacted, and many others have lived experience with persons who are directly-impacted.
Our team works across various programs, including seven fulltime Courtwatching Associates in our Judicial Accountability Initiative (JDI) as well as 18 Liberatory Health Ambassadors driving our Liberatory Health Initiative (LHI) from behind the walls. We also operate the Liberatory Health Fellowship program run by-and-for people who are incarcerated in IDOC facilities.
As we imagine and implement abolitionist strategies, we are intentionally expanding our ecosystem to include labor unions, public health institutions, mutual aid networks, and academic partners committed to co-governance and participatory design. We engage others by centering lived experience, offering strategic collaboration rooted in equity, and creating shared spaces for visioning, feedback, and accountability. Our model invites partners not just to support our work, but to transform theirs—aligning with a collaborative, community focused future where system-impacted people lead, decide, and build.
OUR BOARD
Dr. Erica Meiners
Nicole Davis
Roberta Meyers
Antoinette Ratcliffe
Stevie Valles
Pablo Mendoza
