Who We Are
about us
Drop LWOP New England is a movement organization led by survivors of violence and impacted people who are dedicated to restoring hope to people serving life without parole and other extreme sentences.
We work to end the use of extreme sentencing—or “death by incarceration”—in the six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
We organize directly with individuals serving life sentences and survivors of violence to advocate for a criminal justice system that brings true accountability and healing.
our vision
We have a vision for a world where we each can be safe and free in our communities with our loved ones and neighbors — where we are seen as more than our worst moment and can find redemption for our mistakes.
We believe in a future where we stop endlessly punishing those who have committed harm and reinvest our resources into what actually creates true accountability, safety, and healing for our communities.
our core beliefs
01. We believe in ending life without parole, the death penalty, and all forms of extreme punishment.
02. We believe that these sentences do not bring healing or accountability.
03. We believe in supporting opportunities for every incarcerated person to return to the community.
our mission
Our mission is to build grassroots power by organizing incarcerated people, survivors of violence, and our allies to advocate for an end to life without parole and other extreme forms of sentencing in New England.
Our current framework of retribution within the carceral system focuses on re-litigating the case and re-traumatizing everyone involved by honing in on the provocative details of past violence. But the past cannot be undone.
This approach is often unhelpful to all parties. Psychological research has also shown that the characteristics of the original crime have little to do with a current assessment of risk for a future crime.
We cannot undo the past, but we can find redemption.
our approach
We define incarcerated people by who they are today, not by their worst behavior.
Creating fundamental change in our criminal justice system means we must listen to the people impacted most. We work closely with individuals serving life sentences to develop a present-focused narrative about who they are today.
Our trauma-informed storytelling framework provides the tools for incarcerated people to develop their narrative of resilience so they and their loved ones will feel empowered to advocate for their return to the community.
Support our work to end Life Without Parole sentencing.