What Insight Prison Project does

Insight Prison Project (IPP) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 that delivers victim-offender restorative justice programs inside correctional institutions, serving incarcerated individuals (men, women, and youth) and crime survivors. Its flagship offering is the Victim/Offender Education Group (VOEG), an 18-month, therapist-developed curriculum co-designed with survivors of violent crime and formerly incarcerated individuals, delivered through facilitated dialogue sessions that pair victims and offenders to foster empathy, accountability, and healing. Complementary programs include Victim/Offender Dialogues, Violence Prevention, Brother's Keeper, Acting with Compassion and Truth (ACT), KidCAT, and a yoga/mindfulness program tailored for incarcerated military veterans with PTSD. IPP also operates a three-tier professional training pipeline (Phase 1 basic, Phase 2 intensive, and severe/violent crimes specialization) for prospective VOEG facilitators.

The organization operates with 1-10 employees and generates revenue entirely through donations and charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors; the only documented grant is a $5,000 donation from Redwood Credit Union in 2016. Programs are delivered free of charge to incarcerated participants. IPP's institutional reach covers 7 California state prisons and 1 juvenile institution, anchored by San Quentin State Prison, with a referenced footprint of 25 prisons nationwide. In March 2020, IPP merged into Five Keys Schools and Programs as a division on the 'Programs' side, restructuring it from an independent nonprofit into a subsidiary division while preserving its restorative justice mission and brand.

IPP's distribution is entirely direct — on-site at correctional facilities via trained volunteer facilitators — and awareness is generated through earned media (New York Times, Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley, Reader's Digest, KALW radio, San Quentin News) and a Network for Good donation portal. The organization's competitive positioning rests on its 28-year track record, third-party validation by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and an integrated community model that brings together trained facilitators, survivor speakers, and corrections partners — capabilities that are difficult to replicate in the specialized niche of in-prison restorative justice programming.

Name

Insight Prison Project

Legal name

Insight Prison Project

Website

https://insightprisonproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restorative Justice & Correctional Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adult Corrections (Prisons & Jails) (BPAIAFAD), Juvenile Justice System (Courts & Detention) (BPAIAFAF), Juvenile Justice Education Programs (Detention & Correctional Education) (EDAJAEAB)

Keywords

• Restorative justice programs
• Victim-offender education
• Prison rehabilitation services
• Correctional program facilitation
• Trauma-informed therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

San Quentin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a nonprofit organization, IPP generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. The organization received a $5,000 donation from Redwood Credit Union in honor of volunteer Harriet Whitman Lee.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Insight Prison Project delivers restorative justice programs inside correctional institutions, anchored by the 18-month Victim/Offender Education Group (VOEG) curriculum co-designed by licensed mental health therapists, crime survivors, and formerly incarcerated individuals. It provides mediated victim-offender dialogues, complementary courses (yoga, mindfulness), and multi-phase facilitator training to incarcerated people and crime survivors across California state prisons and one juvenile institution.

Product overview

Insight Prison Project operates as a single unified restorative justice program rather than a platform. The core offering is the 18-month Victim/Offender Education Group (VOEG), which combines facilitated dialogue sessions with a curriculum developed by licensed mental health therapists in collaboration with survivors and formerly incarcerated individuals. Complementary programs including Yoga, Violence Prevention, Brother's Keeper, Acting with Compassion and Truth (ACT), and KidCAT supplement the core VOEG curriculum. The organization also provides professional training programs for individuals seeking to become certified VOEG facilitators, including Phase 1 basic training, Phase 2 intensive curriculum training, and specialized training for severe and violent crimes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Victim/Offender Education Group (VOEG) 18-month facilitated program bringing incarcerated individuals and crime survivors together using a Restorative Justice curriculum designed by licensed mental health therapists to foster empathy, accountability, and healing.
• Victim/Offender Dialogues Mediated face-to-face sessions between offenders and victims and/or their friends and families to generate empathy and process the trauma of crime.
• Phase 1: Basic VOEG Facilitation Skills Training Foundational training for individuals seeking to become VOEG facilitators, covering basic facilitation skills for victim-offender education groups.
• Phase 2: VOEG Intensive Curriculum and Implementation Training Advanced training for facilitators focusing on the intensive VOEG curriculum and program implementation within correctional institutions.
• Victim Offender Dialogue Facilitator Training for Severe and Violent Crimes Specialized training for facilitators working with severe and violent crimes, addressing the unique complexities of these cases in restorative justice settings.
• Complementary Courses and Sponsored Programs Additional supportive programs including yoga, mindfulness, and other complementary offerings that work alongside the core VOEG curriculum.
• Acting with Compassion and Truth (ACT) A program offered at San Quentin where incarcerated individuals engage in restorative justice practices focused on compassion and truth-telling.
• Violence Prevention Program Program identified by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency study as effective in reducing recidivism at San Quentin.
• Yoga Program Yoga and mindfulness classes for incarcerated individuals, including specialized programming for incarcerated military veterans dealing with PTSD and trauma-related issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Repeat offender numbers in Australia down 55 percent through restorative justice proceedings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Five Keys Schools and ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2020In March 2020, Insight Prison Project merged into Five Keys Schools and Programs as a division of the 'Programs' side. This merger allows IPP to continue its restorative justice mission while benefiting from the broader organizational infrastructure of Five Keys.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Five Keys Schools and Programs: Five Keys is IPP's parent nonprofit organization since the March 2020 merger and operates educational and reentry programs inside California correctional institutions. It is directly comparable as a California-based nonprofit delivering education and reentry services to incarcerated populations.
• Anti-Recidivism Coalition: Anti-Recidivism Coalition is a California-based nonprofit led by formerly incarcerated individuals that supports reentry, rehabilitation, and policy reform for people impacted by the justice system. Comparable to IPP as a California nonprofit focused on incarcerated and formerly incarcerated populations.
• Center for Justice Innovation: The Center for Justice Innovation (formerly Center for Court Innovation) develops and operates restorative justice, victim-offender mediation, and reentry programs in partnership with courts and communities. Comparable to IPP as an organization building and scaling restorative justice programs for incarcerated and justice-involved populations.
• Center for Restorative Justice Works: Center for Restorative Justice Works promotes victim-offender dialogue and restorative justice practices in correctional and community settings. Directly comparable as a peer organization in the U.S. restorative justice nonprofit space.
• Prison Fellowship: Prison Fellowship is the largest U.S. nonprofit working in prison reform and restorative justice, operating programs including victim-offender reconciliation inside correctional facilities nationwide. Directly comparable to IPP as a faith-informed restorative justice and prisoner rehabilitation nonprofit with programs inside prisons.
• Impact Justice: Impact Justice is a California-based national nonprofit advancing programs that reduce incarceration and improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals, including restorative justice initiatives. Comparable to IPP as a criminal justice reform nonprofit with California roots and prison-based programming.
• The Forgiveness Project: The Forgiveness Project uses real-life stories of victims and offenders to foster empathy and reconciliation, including prison-based restorative storytelling programs. Directly comparable as a victim-offender restorative justice organization working inside prisons and with crime survivors.
• Mennonite Central Committee - Offender Victim Ministries: MCC's Offender Victim Ministries runs victim-offender conferencing, reconciliation, and restorative justice programs across multiple U.S. states, with strong roots inside correctional facilities. Directly comparable to IPP as a long-standing restorative justice provider focused on victim-offender dialogue.

Regional players

• Californians for Safety and Justice: Californians for Safety and Justice is a California-focused criminal justice reform nonprofit where IPP Board Vice President Dionne Wilson also works as Survivor Outreach Coordinator. Comparable as a California-based advocacy organization for victims and restorative justice reform.

Others

• National Council on Crime and Delinquency: NCCD is the research organization that identified IPP's VOEG and three other San Quentin programs as effective at reducing recidivism. Related as an evaluator/research partner that validates IPP's outcomes and is a peer in the broader criminal justice research ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InsightPrison
• Facebookfacebook.com/insightprisonproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Insight Prison Project