In December 2018 Louisville Family Justice Advocates (LFJA) was formed to advance equitable policies and fair practices for families with incarcerated loved ones in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Guided by values of respect, dignity, and unity, LFJA strives to include those who have direct experiences with incarceration and invites them to make up at least half of the pool of staff and volunteers who participate in our work.
The Special Project, an independent network of artists & creatives, is a core program of Louisville Family Justice Advocates. Established in 2008, the Special Project has led over 6,000 artmaking opportunities with caregivers and children who have loved ones incarcerated in LMDC.
In 2018, the Special Project worked with the Louisville Metro Center for Health Equity to document the impact of parental incarceration on children’s health in Jefferson county. Download the full report online download the pdf or the shorter Highlights document created by the Special Project.
During the Pandemic LFJA stopped in-person artmaking activities with families at the jail. Putting some time into policy changework was easier to do while social distancing. As we emerge from a more virtual way of living, LFJA is committed to reconnecting with the community and families directly impacted by incarceration.
2023 In Review
Collective Action: with ACLU-KY Community Stakeholders for Change in LMDC and 18 other community partner organizations, LFJA Board members continued actively participating in the Metro-wide Community Stakeholders discussions to prevent further deaths inside the jail throughout 2023.
Data for Policy Change & Accountability: LFJA played a leading role in obtaining a Comprehensive & Public Jail Population Dashboard to enable community advocates to target policy change & create accountability based on nearly real-time information about who is incarcerated in our local jail.
Amplifying Directly Impacted Voices: LFJA demanded public input into the current Jail Contract for Communications with Smart Communications resulting in free & lower cost voice and video calls.
Advocating for new Healthcare Standards: LFJA advocated for new standards and accountability for the incoming Healthcare Contract holder and will continue to monitor in 2024.
Creating Resources: With funding from KY Social Welfare Foundation, LFJA created a beautifully designed and inspiring how-to guide for improving jail visitation policies called Keeping Families Connected: A Guide to Jail Visiting in Kentucky Now, Aetna Better Health has provided sponsorship funds for LFJA to provide training to direct service providers in counties across the state who want to implement visiting in their jails.
Growing & Developing: LFJA was able to hire 3 new staff members with complementary skill sets to lead new work building on our strong combination of grassroots artmaking and local policy changes relating to incarceration, children’s health and addressing challenges.
Reaching Further: Layfierre Mitchell, LFJA’s Community Artist, was featured at the national Arts & Democracy conference in Brooklyn. He demonstrated artmaking for social change, showcasing his own and Special Project art activities. Along with LFJA’s Special Project Art Team, Layfierre engaged children with incarcerated loved ones in original art activities and creative expressions.
The Power of Small Things: LFJA is part of a still small but growing cohort of grassroots organizations committed to the power of artmaking for social change through local policies and practices, equitable cultural opportunities and inclusive narratives.
Sustainability: Sources for funding our locally-focused, hybrid art & policy organization are scarce. The current wave of tough on crime policies supported by politicians at all levels of government often work against fostering community or family connections. While larger organizations receive large donations to steer powerful programs like Amnesty Courts that decrease incarceration rates overall, LFJA advocates to improve policies that may exacerbate the disruptions in day- to-day family life caused by incarceration. Keeping our focus on families and children in our communities, our small group offers chances to find hope as they navigate the challenges of having an incarcerated loved one, which can have a large and positive impact!
Looking Forward: In Focus for 2024
- Operationalize Keeping Families Connected Guide
- Facilitate free and low cost communications options for families with incarcerated loved- ones
- Monitor new Healthcare Contract in the Jail
- Summer event to share the power of art to make change
The LFJA logo design is by Louisville artist Marilyn Holmes.
familyjusticeadvocates.org 