Transforming Prison Culture, Strengthening Reentry

Community safety

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Across California, over 95% of incarcerated individuals will one day be released—yet most leave prison without the tools, mindset, or support needed to safely reintegrate. Without intervention, this leads to repeat incarceration, community instability, and ongoing trauma. In-prison environments are often marked by fear, mistrust, and violence, which only deepen harmful behavior patterns. For the over 35% of incarcerated Californians who are from LA County, cycles of incarceration disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities. Safe reentry begins long before release—with trauma-informed support that transforms thinking, builds social capital, and creates pathways for change.

Defy’s CEO of Your New Life (CEO YNL) is a 6–9 month in-prison program—now in its 4th curriculum iteration— that transforms mindsets, reduces prison violence, and prepares participants for long-term reentry success. Our trauma-informed curriculum blends entrepreneurship, personal development, and career readiness with Defy’s signature “inside-outside” approach—ensuring continuity of care post-release.
Delivered in facilities like Lancaster State Prison and transitional housing centers, CEO YNL is grounded in Defy’s Well-Being Development Model (WBDM), promoting healthy thinking patterns, effective coping, emotional regulation, and interpersonal accountability. Participants work through structured group facilitation, peer learning, and hands-on business training. Events with community volunteers build bridges across lines of race, class, and incarceration status—fostering connection, humanity, and healing.
This grant will support the delivery of CEO YNL across Southern California prisons and facilities, with the majority of individuals from LA County. Our goal: to prepare returning citizens to reenter not just with job skills, but with the resilience and leadership capacity to contribute to safer communities.

If successful, more Angelenos returning from prison will reenter their communities equipped with the tools to break cycles of violence, poverty, and incarceration. CEO YNL graduates return with clearer thinking, healthier relationships, and a purpose-driven mindset. They are less likely to recidivate, more likely to be employed, and more engaged in prosocial behaviors. Over time, LA County will see stronger families, safer communities, and fewer resources spent on re-incarceration. The culture within prisons also shifts—promoting mutual respect, reduced infractions, and a foundation of hope.