About Us

Founded in 1997, Community Works interrupts and heals the far-reaching impact of incarceration and violence by empowering individuals, families and communities. Through programs in the jails and community, youth-led advocacy efforts, and public exhibits and performances, we:

•    Enable individuals to break the cycle of incarceration and violence and establish productive, violence-free lives
•    Help families and communities heal from the impact of incarceration and the behaviors leading up to it
•    Create social and institutional change to better meet the needs of incarcerated individuals, their children and their families

Our work is guided by the principles of restorative justice and a belief in the power of the arts to educate and heal. We work closely with the criminal and juvenile justice systems, the public school system and other community-based organizations providing services in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the state.