Cohort 2023
Project Curate
Advancing Noncarceral Public Safety Policies through Data-Driven Advocacy
Harris County, TX
In Harris County, Texas, residents of color, particularly Black residents, are charged with certain offenses at higher rates than white residents. Project Curate and ImagiNoir/BLMHTX, alongside other community-embedded organizations, have been working to advocate for criminal legal policy reforms and abolish predatory practices that disproportionately impact communities of color. Recently, Houston and Harris County implemented a cite-and-release program, which promotes the use of citation procedures instead of incarceration for people who commit nonviolent misdemeanors.
With Catalyst Grant funding, Project Curate and ImagiNoir/BLMHTX will study the cite-and-release program and collect data to support its expansion and support increased funding for alternatives to incarceration in Houston. Using law enforcement and traffic stop data acquired through Texas Public Information Act requests, the team will highlight disparities in Houston’s criminal legal system through data visualization. It will also facilitate Data to Dream workshops for community members that will explain the data and create opportunities to brainstorm narratives advocating for investment in alternatives to incarceration. These workshops will prepare community members to participate in the 2023 Harris County budget proposal process and recommend evidence-based noncarceral public safety policies to decrease community members’ contact with the criminal legal system.
2023 Grantees
Beyond the Bars
Miami Gardens, FL
Black Voters Matter
Fulton County, GA
Center for Policing Equity
St. Louis, MO
Chicago Appleseed
Cook County, IL
Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking
Los Angeles, CA
DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Washington, DC
Forward Through Ferguson
St. Louis City and County, MO
Freedom Community Center
St. Louis, MO
Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association
Cuyahoga County, OH
Homeward Bound
Dallas County, TX
ideas42
Sacramento, CA
Innovate Memphis
Memphis, TN
Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice
Washtenaw County, MI
Just Communities Arizona
Pima County, AZ
Justice Management Institute
New Orleans, LA
Mediation and Restorative Services
Anoka County, MN
People of Progression
Outagamie County, WI
Phoenix Youth and Family Services
Ashley County, Bradley County, Chicot County, Desha County, and Drew County, AR
Project Curate
Harris County, TX
Pillars of the Community
San Diego, CA
Safer Foundation
Cook County, IL
San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project
San Francisco, CA
Starting Over, Inc.
Riverside County, CA
UnBoxed
Denver, CO
United Way of South Central Michigan
Jackson County, MI