Dismantling the Pipeline to Prison

The first time Ali Knight walked into a prison at age 25, he was surprised to see a childhood friend from his old neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

Knight was working for a nonprofit that helped incarcerated adults re-enter society while Isaac, whom Knight had played basketball with and looked up to, had been imprisoned for three years and was eager to return to his family.

“It’s not random. It’s a series of decisions, obstacles, and opportunities … that are informed by things like what you look like, where you live, how you grow up, what decisions you make,” says Knight, executive director of Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY). But “as a young Black or Brown boy, mistakes or mishaps are amplified because of the narrative [around them], because of who you are and where you come from. That narrative makes it much more likely for youth of color, from poor neighborhoods, to end up in adult prisons like Isaac did.” 

For more than two decades, the award-winning, Silicon Valley-based Fresh Lifelines for Youth has helped young people successfully exit or avoid the justice system by teaching them about the law, supporting them to develop leadership skills, and offering one-on-one mentoring and positive role models.

“I like to describe our work as serving, supporting, and partnering with young people impacted by the justice system so they can transform their lives, transform their communities, and then transform the system themselves,” Knight says.

The nonprofit serves more than 2,000 young people, largely high school students, across the Bay Area each year. Most go through FLY’s Law Program, which teaches them about their legal rights, how to navigate the juvenile justice system, and life skills they need to thrive. 

The nonprofit currently operates in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Alameda counties and is eyeing expansion into two more counties.

FLY is well-known for giving youth a voice in shaping the services and systems that impact their lives. Among FLY’s Youth Voice Initiatives is its Youth Advisory Council. The council is made up of youth who have graduated from probation and now help train probation officers to be youth-centered and connect more positively with young people in their care.

“These youth have great advice for probation officers: Don’t act like a cop. Create safety. Create open communication around honesty,” Knight says. “This is how you support young people to do well on probation.”

FLY measures its success by its ability to reduce the negative impact of the justice system on youth, while supporting their academic progress and their learning of critical life skills. About eight of 10 young people they serve achieve a positive outcome in at least one area, Knight says.

The nonprofit, which partners with some 200 volunteers a year, is also “building community” to help support and empower youth most affected by the juvenile justice system. Many volunteers go on to become lawyers, district attorneys, or probation officers.

“It’s not just helping young people,” Knight says. “It’s building a community of social justice advocates, public servants, and public leaders now charged with creating a community and a system that supports young people.”