We center and elevate the voices and experiences of directly impacted people
We fight alongside people incarcerated in women’s prisons
We advocate in solidarity for gender equity and justice
We support the empowerment of systems change agents
We are challenging and redefining narratives about incarcerated people
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ABOUT UAHERS

Unapologetically HERS, Healing Experiences through Research Solutions (UAHERS) is a purpose-driven organization focused on improving knowledge-based opportunities and capacity-building efforts in California women’s prisons. It was co-founded in 2020 by formerly incarcerated women, who responded to the urgent needs of incarcerated peers during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a deep commitment to prison abolition and criminal justice, UAHERS has been a powerful force for change, using research, evaluation, and experiential knowledge to elevate the voices, lived experiences, preferences, and choices of imprisoned people.​

UAHERS centers racial and gender equity in our decision making and change-making strategies. Our capacity-building efforts provide meaningful learning opportunities that promote increases in the decarceration of people inside California women’s prisons and strengthen the movement around prison abolition. We center the experiences of people incarcerated, with our predominant population being women, transgender people, and people of color.

WHAT WE DO

Participatory Action Research Leadership Program (PARLP)
Our leadership development program is designed to increase the impact of peer-led interventions, through research and analysis, and helps advocates access the expertise of imprisoned people in the design of social impact efforts. Through PARLP, we provide community research training with the aim of helping individuals develop critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills that can be applied both inside and outside of prison.
Capacity Building
Our Thought Partners/Coaches program provides intensive, personalized guidance and builds knowledge and skills. By learning from those with expertise and experience, mentees can gain confidence and build personal and professional networks. Individuals receive the tools they need to take meaningful actions and advocate and help educate others in their organization, community, or personal sphere.
Parole Coaching
We provide support and guidance to incarcerated individuals in California women’s prisons who are preparing for their upcoming parole suitability hearings, to determine and identify the strengths and weaknesses in an individual's case and provide recommendations for how to improve the chances of obtaining a favorable outcome at the parole suitability hearing.
Freedom Advocates
Our Freedom Advocates play a crucial role in supporting criminalized survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, and other forms of interpersonal violence. They engage in community organizing, digital advocacy, coalition building, and advocate for the release of criminalized survivors.
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We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Resentencing Advocate Fellowship, a transformative collaboration between the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) and UAHERS. 

Building off the success of UAHERS’ Participatory Action Research Leadership Program (PARLP) and its comprehensive “Pathways to Freedom: A Toolkit on the State of Resentencing at Central California Women’s Facility,” CCWP has promptly acted on internal recommendations to establish Paid Peer Support Positions.

RESOURCES

Join us in our mission to create a more just and equitable system. Your donation will directly impact the lives of women who are striving for a second chance. Together, we can make a difference.

OUR PARTNERS