About Emancipation Impact Network

Decentralizing Power. Centering People.

Emancipation Impact Network (EIN) is a nonprofit built by and for people impacted by incarceration. We champion collective power through peer-led storytelling, participatory grant-making, and decentralized tools. Our name honors the work of Derrick Washington, an incarcerated activist who founded the Emancipation Initiative.

EIN's mission is to re-enfranchise people who are intimately affected by incarceration, educate those who aren’t, and collectively work toward the abolishment of the prison-industrial complex. We use technology to amplify our work and bring people together around these common goals.

The Problem

There are 2.3 million incarcerated people in the United States. The prison industrial complex offers a well-documented lens into abject, systemic inequity – bolstered by economic incentives that encourage the persistence of private prison companies and other corporations that supply goods and services to government prison agencies. Stemming from slavery, the prison system continues to perpetuate practices that disproportionally affect marginalized communities and maintain a racial capitalist regime. Due to an egregious lack of resources, support, and education, recidivism rates remain high, communities of color struggle to build wealth, and millions of people are forced to the margins of society without means. Basic welfare – both in prison and upon release/re-entry – is dramatically affected by incarceration. Even in small segments, prison can turn lives upside down. A couple of weeks behind bars can mean losing jobs and housing, while diminishing future prospects for both.

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Why We Exist

Thousands of organizations nationwide are attempting to reduce this system’s harm, but they’re engaged in a competitive zero-sum game for limited resources. In actuality, resources would be more effective if generated and allocated collectively. The overarching philosophy of decentralization – a concept championed by new Internet communities that seeks liberation from exploitative, centralized platforms – aligns well with the tenets of prison abolition. We’re building an impact network that leverages that ethos and uses technology to seamlessly unite organizational efforts with similar goals.

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Who We Serve

Our Impact Network serves the incarcerated communities of the United States and all others affected by incarceration – friends, family, and everyone else who believes in the humanity of our incarcerated comrades. While our advocacy and partnerships extend nationally, our core organizing and on-the-ground work is rooted on the East Coast, with a hub in the Potomac, MD/DC area. We elevate awareness of the prison-industrial complex through people directly impacted by it and act as a mouthpiece for those whose voices have been silenced. There is no better way to cultivate empathy for collective emancipation than through direct exposure to the stories of the unemancipated.

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Where We Come From

Our name honors the Emancipation Initiative, founded by Derrick Washington, an incarcerated organizer in Massachusetts. Derrick’s work challenges life without parole sentences and advocates for prisoner suffrage. His work laid the foundation for our movement.