Louisville Family Justice Advocates

Louisville Family Justice Advocates began in 2008 as a Special Project for weekly artmaking with children and caregivers in the Video Visiting Lobby of the Louisville Metro Jail. Inspired & funded by a grandmother visiting there, Special Project leaders designed original artmaking with children & families as a way to connect them with their incarcerated loved ones.

 

Working every Sunday evening from 2008 to 2020, the Special Project leaders witnessed the strong ties between the children, their caregivers, and their loved ones inside the Jail. The leaders also saw the power of artmaking together to support positive relationships, build core skills, & reduce the toxic stresses associated with incarceration.

 

Louisville Family Justice Advocates became a nonprofit in 2019 to support the Special Project & improve policies and practices for families with incarcerated loved ones. When COVID closed the Video Visiting Lobby in 2020, LFJA successfully advocated for free & reduced phone calls for families. LFJA is now working for in-person visits for families here and sharing best practices with communities across the Commonwealth.