Mission
Civil Survival organizes system-impacted people, provides legal representation, and advocates for policy reform to restore opportunity to communities harmed by the criminal legal system.
Vision
Civil Survival envisions a world without incarceration, where people are not limited by their past and are valued for their humanity.
Values
- Equity: We confront the barriers to liberation—institutional, interpersonal, and internalized—created by systems of oppression. Civil Survival acknowledges and addresses the ways in which our intersectional identities impact our experiences of mass incarceration, the legal system, and the political process. We commit ourselves to understanding and uprooting white supremacy, misogyny, ableism, and institutional racism.
- Community: We are strongest when we build authentic relationships, grounded in our shared humanity and worth. Civil Survival creates spaces that connect, value, and uplift the voices of those harmed by the criminal legal system. Together, we can advocate for change and create a society where all people can thrive.
- Lived Experience: Our strength is in our stories, the variety of our life experiences and our identities. Centering the lived experiences of those affected by the criminal legal system allows us to craft solutions rooted in the realities of those closest to the challenges we seek to solve.
- Humanity: We believe each person is inherently worthy and deserving of a life unburdened by their past experiences with the criminal legal system. Civil Survival is committed to creating a space where all people are shown compassion and respect and are valued for their inherent dignity and potential.