What's Next Washington

What’s Next Washington is an organization of formerly incarcerated individuals and allies working to improve the ability of people with conviction histories to reintegrate into society and achieve longterm economic stability.

Overview

In 2017, a former corporate lawyer and administrative law judge, and a formerly incarcerated person - who, despite her skills and accomplishments, suffered unrelenting economic instability and marginalization - agreed that the system of perpetual punishment had to end.
Their shared belief gave rise to What's Next Washington (WNW). They decided to focus first on increasing employment opportunities for people with conviction histories, especially formerly incarcerated talent (FIT), because employment has the greatest impact on an individual’s ability to reintegrate into society. 

Mission

What’s Next Washington is an organization of formerly incarcerated individuals and allies helping people with conviction histories reintegrate into society and achieve long term economic stability.

Values

• Everyone is entitled to a life of dignity and full participation in society
• Stakeholder collaboration is the most efficient and innovative way to solve complex problems

Principles and Practices

• Those closest to the problem are closest to the solutions
• Prototyping new programs and approaches leads to measurable change
• Data should guide program development