FAQ

The Eli-Global Reform Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending generational incarceration — the cycle in which children of incarcerated parents face a significantly higher risk of becoming incarcerated themselves. We work to put “correction” back into the Department of Correction by advocating for education, job training, mental health support, and stronger family connections both inside and outside correctional facilities.

Generational incarceration describes the pattern in which incarceration passes from parent to child across generations. Between 50 and 75 percent of incarcerated individuals report having a minor child, and children of incarcerated parents face a substantially higher risk of entering the justice system themselves without intervention. Our foundation exists to interrupt that cycle before it repeats.

We focus primarily on incarcerated individuals serving sentences of at least three months but no longer than a year, along with their families — particularly the children and spouses who are often the hidden victims of a loved one’s incarceration. This window gives us a meaningful opportunity to deliver education and support before someone returns home.

Inside correctional facilities, we advocate for access to education and job-training programs, mental health and substance-abuse support, and improved, child-friendly visitation that helps incarcerated parents stay connected to their children. These programs give individuals real tools for a successful reentry rather than simply serving out a sentence.

Outside correctional facilities, we focus on the families left behind — especially children — by connecting them to community resources, mentorship, and support systems designed to prevent the cycle of incarceration from continuing into the next generation. Prevention on the outside is just as central to our mission as reform on the inside.

Today’s Correction Officers are more educated than ever, often holding degrees in fields like education, criminal justice, and mental health, yet the job is still largely defined by custody and control. We advocate for expanding their role to include mentorship, education support, and rehabilitation work — putting their existing skills and training to fuller use inside the system.

Persistently high recidivism rates show that punishment alone does not prepare people to succeed after release. Rehabilitation-focused programs — education, job training, mental health care, and family support — are proven to reduce recidivism, increase post-release employment, and lighten the burden placed on the low-income communities most affected by incarceration.

You can support our mission by donating directly through our donation page, partnering with us as an organization or volunteer, following us on social media to help spread awareness, or advocating for policies that expand education, job training, and family-focused reform inside correctional facilities. Every contribution helps us reach one more family before the cycle repeats itself.