As the CEO of one of the nation's leading reentry social enterprises, I've had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the remarkable transformations that occur when individuals are given a second chance. Nowhere is this....Read more >>
Our Mission: We are a social enterprise that partners with communities to transform society by honoring the humanity of people, reducing the impact of discriminatory mass incarceration and empowering people to live safe, healthy, productive lives through inspiration, affirmation and by overturning barriers.
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Labels Create Barriers
We believe that words are powerful and can be very stigmatizing and harmful when used to label our citizens who are or were formerly incarcerated. Let’s be clear, the individuals are first and foremost human beings!
We all need to remember that people released from prison or jail share common and descriptive names with everyone else in society to include: grandparent, parent, son and daughter, extended family member, friend, neighbor, colleague and employee. These are the only type of names that should ever be used to describe a person.
When talking about people who have been involved in the criminal justice system, here are labels to avoid and terms that are acceptable:
NEVER USE
|
Convict |
ex-Con |
Inmate |
ex-Inmate |
|
Offender |
ex-Offender |
Criminal |
NEWS
Our CEO, Tony Wright, was featured in the Puget Sound Business Journal. "The tough call is to say no to things that were not aligned with our mission and purpose. We care about a lot of things. I care about food equity....Read more >>
It is with great pride we share the story of Charles , who received in-jail treatment, support services and housing after struggling for years with a substance use disorder and incarceration. Charles reported that he....Read more >>
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Vision and Mission
Vision and Mission
Pioneer Human Services is a nonprofit (501c3) social enterprise. One-hundred percent of our revenues are reinvested within the organization.