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About Texas Jail Project

Challenging mass incarceration at its front door: the county jail.

Our Mission


Texas Jail Project’s mission is to liberate communities by organizing with, and advocating for, people incarcerated in Texas county jails and their loved ones.

Our Vision


Texas Jail Project envisions a world where communities of care replace systems of punishment.

Our Work


Advocating

  • Individual-level case intervention, crisis response, & participatory defense
  • Democratizing information by aggregating and disseminating advocacy resources
  • Disbursing monetary direct aid at scale to incarcerated people and their loved ones

Organizing

  • Building community power to advance grassroots campaigns around jail conditions, custody deaths, county policies, & local budgets
  • Training, organizing, and facilitating community testimonies

Policy

  • Monitoring, documenting, and reporting on jail conditions
  • Authoring legislation and advising lawmakers on jail and pretrial issues
  • Advocating for policies that mitigate jail harm and advance public health

Storytelling

  • Collaborating with incarcerated communities on press interviews, op-eds, writing workshops, testimonials, and storytelling projects
  • Catalyzing narrative change to redefine public safety by pitching, placing, and framing media coverage

Our Values


We believe…

  • Every life deserves dignity, safety, and value.
  • Authentic representation and storytelling are respectful and impactful.
  • Racism and ableism are inherent to the status quo of Texas’ criminal legal system; our work requires the pursuit of anti-ableist, Black liberation.
  • Public health and public safety are inextricably linked.
  • All movements for justice are inherently connected.
  • It may take lifetimes to dismantle centuries of harm, so we are unflagging in our commitment.
  • We owe it to ourselves and our communities to hold each other, and state actors, accountable for harm.
  • All community members deserve equal access to participation, requiring us to break down barriers to accessibility. 
  • Our team can and will work in smart, kind, and sustainable ways.

Effective Strategies for Community Safety


Studies show that healthcare, housing, addiction treatment, mental health support, and guaranteed basic income are all more effective for building community safety than more policing and prisons.

Learn more about alternatives to investments in jails

Our Team


Krishnaveni Gundu

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Dalila Reynoso

Lead Mental Health Advocate

Goldie VanZandt

Community Advocate

Amaal Sharif

Community Organizer

Former Team Members


Kevin Garrett

Former Peer Policy Fellow

Tamera Hutcherson

Community Organizer

Andrew Cobb

Website Support

Gabriela Barahona

Director, Education & Advocacy

Olivia Ekeke

Development Associate, Part-Time

Impact Reports


Texas Jail Project Impact Reports
2021 Impact Report

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