Who we are
Beyond the Bars is a worker center in South Florida building the social and economic power of workers with criminal records and their families to challenge the central role of criminalization in the economy. Through organizing, advocacy, education, research, support, and cross-movement solidarity, we fight for a just and thriving future.
What we do
Worker Organizing
We organize criminalized workers to take collective action in industries that rely on their labor, building strategic campaigns to shift power in those industries.
Worker Education
We host workshops to increase workers' understanding of their rights and develop strategies to vindicate those rights, improving wages and work conditions.
Worker Advocacy
We advocate at federal, state, and local levels to expand labor protections, ensure enforcement of existing laws, and increase workers' access to quality jobs.
Worker Support
We host poetry classes, socials, and wellness circles for our members and work with partner organizations to help criminalized workers get the help they need.
Cross Movement Solidarity
When labor and anti-carceral organizers unite, working conditions improve for all. We bridge movements, expanding labor's role in carceral reform.
Worker Research
We use participatory research to strengthen our corporate campaigns and educate stakeholders on how the carceral-labor continuum impacts our work.
