We believe restoration is possible, and that paths to complete restoration should exist for people when they return to their communities.
Bonafide envisions a world in which people recovering from incarceration are able to pursue the same opportunities and quality of life as those who have never lost their freedom.
It is our Mission to ensure that people affected by incarceration have the material, emotional and advocacy support they need to both integrate into society and build healthy, productive lives going forward.
“As a formerly incarcerated person, I have personally experienced the transition from prison to the outside community, and know that a smooth, healthy reintegration is impossible without a good support system during this most surreal, impactful, and even traumatic time. This is why I started Bonafide. I’m very uncomfortable with people being completely lost in the world when they are suddenly released after decades of incarceration — they are at such a huge disadvantage when it even comes to functioning in a modern society.”
The vast majority of traditional reentry and reintegration work is corrective and controlled and functions very much like an extension of the carceral state. The focus of many programs is to keep people from failing utterly: to prevent them from relapsing or returning to prison. In contrast, Bonafide is concerned with creating pathways and opportunities that lead to flourishing. Instead of focusing on mitigating failures, we lead people along the path of success, of building a life they love. We describe ourselves as a community rather than a service provider because the process of rebuilding a life is the process of building community.