Who we are
Beyond the Bars is a worker center in Miami-Dade County dedicated to breaking the cycle of low-wage jobs and incarceration. We build the political and economic power of our members — who are workers with criminal records and their families — through leadership development, popular and political education, policy innovation, and service provision.
What we do
Community Organizing
We organize our neighborhoods and workplaces while helping to lead statewide and national movements for criminal justice reform, workers’ rights, and more.
Leadership Development
We equip our members for lifelong roles as movement leaders through intensive organizing skills training, workforce development, and paid leadership opportunities.
Worker Education
Our workshops increase students’ knowledge of their rights and help them develop skills to enforce those rights, increasing wages and improving work conditions.
Policy Innovation
Our members lead campaigns to improve their workplaces and neighborhoods. Our advocacy has eliminated >$10M in jail fees annually and >$72M in jail debt.
Healing Justice
We host poetry classes and wellness circles, and provide supportive services to help our members process trauma and achieve economic and social stability.
