Freedom is just the first step
No woman should leave time inside alone, unprepared, or without a future.
Beyond Bars walks alongside justice-impacted women — starting before release and staying long after — across Washington's Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas.
Who we are?
Beyond Bars, SPC is a peer-led reentry organization built on a simple truth: the women who walk alongside you have been where you are.
They know what it's like — and they know what's possible. Our work is trauma-informed, evidence-grounded, and founded in memory of one woman whose life shaped this mission.
the Reality
and how we are changing it
We’re honest about what justice-impacted women face, and just as committed to changing it. Here’s the truth, paired with the work we do about it.
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86% of women in jail report having experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.
How we change it: peer support and skills training that are trauma-informed throughout — healing and empowerment together.
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Nearly 8 in 10 women in jail are mothers — and most are single parents.
How we change it: helping women keep families together during reentry, with dedicated family programming on the way.
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Roughly 60% of formerly incarcerated people are jobless in their first year out.
How we change it: merit stipends and CPSS certification open a paid, professional career path built on lived experience.
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About two-thirds are rearrested within three years.4 Entrepreneurship-based reentry can cut that to near 7%.
How we change it: business skills, financial literacy, and a network of peers who've walked the same road.
The Journey
We walk with women at every stage - from 90 days before release, through the critical first 72 hours, into ongoing peer support, professional certification, and family support.
