Our Work > INSTEAD

Community Alternatives to Incarceration

The criminal legal system is not designed to meet the behavioral, social, and economic needs that often contribute to an arrest. Prosecution and incarceration almost always makes these issues worse by separating people from their support systems and putting up barriers to their success.

Our INSTEAD program diverts people from courts and jails and offers them support where they belong: in their homes and community.

“Prisons don’t disappear social problems. They disappear human beings.”
Angela Davis

Our social workers and case managers work with individuals to develop personalized service plans and connect them with desired resources like mental health care, housing, and job opportunities. We work with a whole ecosystem of providers that surrounds participants in a community of care.

After three months of successful participation, the Orleans Parish District Attorney drops their case. Instead of a criminal record, they can move forward with the resources they need to be stable, healthy, and safe in the community.

“[INSTEAD] points people in the right direction and makes them successful…I feel like I can win the race now, I’m at the beginning and I have a long way to go, but all I need is my [case manager], my buddy, and I’ll take it from there.”

INSTEAD Participant

To make a referral to the INSTEAD program, please email us at insteadreferral@ubuntuvillagenola.org

Integrated Navigation Services to End Arrest & Detention