Unlock the Box
Unlock the Box is a national nonprofit advocacy coalition that partners with 22 state-level campaigns plus DC to end solitary confinement in U.S. prisons, jails, and detention facilities, serving survivors, families, and justice-involved individuals through survivor-led organizing and legislative advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Unlock the Box does
Unlock the Box Campaign is a national nonprofit advocacy coalition founded in 2021 (with prior organizing roots from 2018) and headquartered in Washington, DC, working to end long-term solitary confinement in U.S. prisons, jails, and detention facilities within a 10-year horizon. The organization operates as an umbrella for 22 state-level campaign partners plus the District of Columbia, providing a national voice on solitary confinement while supplying grassroots organizations with funding, strategic support, and technical assistance to advance anti-solitary legislation. Its steering committee comprises high-credibility partners including the ACLU's Stop Solitary Campaign, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), Amend at UCSF, California Families Against Solitary Confinement, and the Center for Children's Law and Policy. National Director Jessica Sandoval leads a small team (1-10 employees) that drives survivor- and family-led organizing.
The coalition's product surface is a digital advocacy ecosystem rather than a commercial technology stack. Core offerings include a Tableau-based Data Tracker cataloging solitary confinement bills from 2009 to present, an Action Center for emailing state and federal legislators, the 6x9 Virtual Reality Experience (a mobile app co-created with The Guardian and Solitary Watch), the Journey to Justice bus tour reaching 11 cities in 2025, and a Resources Library of research reports and fact sheets. Distribution is multi-channel: social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok), email newsletters, the website, grassroots organizing, and earned media including a consulting role on a John Oliver segment. Funding flows through donations routed via NRCAT's Salsa Labs donation page; no commercial revenue, pricing model, or audited financials are disclosed.
The campaign's measurable impact includes passage of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act in New York (2021) capping solitary at 15 days, Connecticut's PROTECT Act leading to closure of the state's supermax facility, and 12 additional state laws restricting solitary for vulnerable populations enacted between July 2024 and July 2025. The coalition is now escalating from state to federal advocacy via the End of Solitary Confinement Act (ESCA) and the Federal Anti-Solitary Taskforce (FAST), with the Data Tracker recording 94 bills introduced across 29 states in the most recent 12-month window. Customer concentration is not applicable in a commercial sense; the served population is approximately 122,000 individuals currently held in solitary confinement in the United States, with survivor testimony central to the campaign's narrative strategy.
Unlock the Box firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unlock the Box
- Legal name
- Unlock the Box Campaign
- Website
- https://unlocktheboxcampaign.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Unlock the Box is a national nonprofit advocacy coalition that partners with 22 state-level campaigns plus DC to end solitary confinement in U.S. prisons, jails, and detention facilities, serving survivors, families, and justice-involved individuals through survivor-led organizing and legislative advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Unlock the Box industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Criminal Justice Advocacy
- NAICS
- Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (9221)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Correctional Facility Management Outsourcing & Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) (BPAKANAJ)
Keywords
Where Unlock the Box is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Unlock the Box business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Unlock the Box product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Unlock the Box is a national advocacy coalition that partners with state and local campaigns across the United States to end the use of solitary confinement in prisons, jails, and detention facilities. The organization provides state-level partner organizations with funding, strategic support, and technical assistance to advance anti-solitary confinement legislation, while operating public education tools including a legislative Data Tracker, an Action Center, a virtual reality experience, a traveling advocacy bus tour, and a research resources library.
Product overview
Unlock the Box is a national campaign coalition (not a technology product company) that operates a digital advocacy ecosystem comprising the Data Tracker (a Tableau-based legislative bill database), Action Center (advocacy tools for contacting legislators), the 6x9 Virtual Reality Experience (immersive educational tool), the Journey to Justice Bus Tour (in-person advocacy initiative), and a Resources Library of research materials. These offerings work together as a unified advocacy platform to end solitary confinement through policy advocacy, public education, survivor empowerment, and grassroots organizing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Data Tracker A database of solitary confinement bills from 2009 to present day, accessible via Tableau dashboards including Map View, Annual Trends View, and Table View, allowing users to filter by bill type, vulnerable group, actions by year, and final status. Used by advocates, researchers, journalists, and policymakers tracking anti-solitary confinement legislation.
- Action Center Online advocacy platform enabling users to email state legislators and decision-makers, access state campaign partners, join the movement, and support the End Solitary Confinement Act (ESCA). For advocates, supporters, and concerned citizens engaging in legislative action.
- 6x9 Virtual Reality Experience Virtual reality experience created in collaboration with The Guardian and Solitary Watch that places users inside a U.S. solitary confinement cell, with descriptions of life in complete isolation. Available as a mobile app for Google Play and Apple App Store. Used by the public, educators, and policymakers to understand conditions of solitary confinement.
- Journey to Justice Bus Tour A traveling artivism, public education, and immersive experience tour planned for 11 cities across the U.S. from Washington State to Washington DC, designed to challenge commonly held beliefs about solitary confinement and connect people to the movement.
- Resources Library Collection of research reports, studies, videos, and fact sheets on solitary confinement including reports on the psychological effects, racial disparities, youth impact, and policy alternatives, along with a downloadable FAQ. Used by advocates, researchers, journalists, and the general public.
Quantifiable outcome
- HALT Solitary Confinement Act passed in New York (2021) limiting solitary to no more than 15 days
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Unlock the Box
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Unlock the Box technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Unlock the Box partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ACLU's Stop Solitary CampaigncoreKey member of Unlock the Box's steering committee. The ACLU has been working to end solitary confinement since 2011 through its national Stop Solitary Campaign, contributing policy expertise and advocacy infrastructure to the coalition.
- National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT)coreHosts the Unlock the Box donation page and provides administrative and organizational support. Faith-based organization working to end torture in the United States, with solitary confinement as a key focus area.
- Amend at University of California San FranciscocoreSteering committee member providing healthcare and corrections expertise. Amend works to transform U.S. corrections systems through evidence-based practices and policy reform.
- California Families Against Solitary ConfinementcoreSteering committee member bringing family perspective and survivor-led advocacy from California, which has been at the forefront of anti-solitary confinement organizing.
- Center for Children's Law and PolicycoreSteering committee member providing expertise on youth in solitary confinement and juvenile justice issues. Works to protect children in carceral settings from harmful practices.
- DecARcerate (Arkansas)coreState campaign partner leading Arkansas efforts. Successfully advocated for data collection on solitary confinement and passed HB1470 banning solitary for pregnant juveniles.
- Stop Solitary CT (Connecticut)coreState campaign partner that led efforts resulting in passage of the PROTECT Act and closure of Connecticut's supermax facility.
- New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC)coreState campaign partner that achieved passage of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act in 2021, limiting solitary to 15 days and creating alternatives with at least 7 hours of daily out-of-cell time.
- Solitary WatchcoreMedia partner providing investigative reporting on solitary confinement. Launched in 2009 to investigate and report on the widespread use of solitary across the country. Provides the 'Voices from Solitary' series featuring real-life accounts from people in isolation.
- The GuardianminorCollaborated with Unlock the Box steering committee members Johnny Perez and Dolores Canales to create the '6x9: A Virtual Reality Experience' placing viewers inside a U.S. solitary confinement cell.
- Federal Anti-Solitary Taskforce (FAST)coreCoalition of national organizations advocating for federal legislation to end solitary confinement. Testifies before Congress and issues press releases on federal policy matters including the HALT Solitary Confinement law.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Unlock the Box competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- The Marshall Project: Nonprofit news organization reporting on criminal justice with frequent coverage of solitary confinement. Comparable in driving public awareness and narrative change, though focused on journalism rather than direct legislative advocacy.
- Worth Rises: National nonprofit fighting the profiteering that drives mass incarceration through organizing, public education and coalition building. Comparable grassroots advocacy model and criminal justice reform focus, though addresses broader carceral issues.
Direct peers
- Prison Policy Initiative: Research and advocacy organization that produces influential reports on prison conditions, including solitary confinement practices. Comparable in producing evidence-based critiques of incarceration policy and supporting state-level reform.
- Just Detention International: Health and human rights organization dedicated to ending sexual abuse and harmful detention conditions, including prolonged isolation, in U.S. detention facilities. Shares survivor-centered advocacy approach and focus on detention conditions reform.
- Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM): National nonprofit advocating for sentencing reform and reduced use of extreme confinement, including solitary. Comparable in federal/state legislative strategy, policy advocacy and family/survivor engagement.
- Vera Institute of Justice: National nonprofit advancing criminal justice reform with active programs addressing conditions of confinement, including solitary confinement, through research, advocacy and direct technical assistance to corrections agencies. Highly comparable mission, advocacy model and policy reform focus.
Broad incumbents
- Center for American Progress: Major policy think tank with a criminal justice program addressing issues including solitary confinement reform. Comparable in federal advocacy and policy research, though part of a much broader ideological agenda.
- Human Rights Watch (U.S. Program): International human rights organization that has published investigative reports on solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and engages in domestic and international advocacy on the practice. Comparable in framing solitary as torture and convening policy responses.
- Brennan Center for Justice: Major policy and law organization addressing criminal justice reform including conditions of confinement. Comparable in legislative advocacy and policy research methodology, though operates at a much broader institutional scale.
Regional players
- Pretrial Justice Institute: Nonprofit focused on pretrial reform and reducing unnecessary detention, which overlaps with broader solitary confinement reform efforts. Adjacent in criminal justice advocacy space with shared goals of reducing extreme confinement.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Unlock the Box social profiles
Digital presenceUnlock the Box financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unlock the Box leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Unlock the Box funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unlock the Box M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Unlock the Box
What does Unlock the Box do?
Unlock the Box is a national advocacy coalition that partners with state and local campaigns across the United States to end the use of solitary confinement in prisons, jails, and detention facilities. The organization provides state-level partner organizations with funding, strategic support, and technical assistance to advance anti-solitary confinement legislation, while operating public education tools including a legislative Data Tracker, an Action Center, a virtual reality experience, a traveling advocacy bus tour, and a research resources library.
Is Unlock the Box a public or private company?
Unlock the Box is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Unlock the Box founded?
Unlock the Box was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Unlock the Box based?
Unlock the Box is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Unlock the Box's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are The Marshall Project and Worth Rises. Direct peers are Prison Policy Initiative, Just Detention International, Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) and Vera Institute of Justice. Broad incumbents are Center for American Progress, Human Rights Watch (U.S. Program) and Brennan Center for Justice. Pretrial Justice Institute is listed as a regional player.
Does Unlock the Box have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unlock the Box.
What industry is Unlock the Box in?
Unlock the Box's product category is Criminal Justice Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKANAJ, Correctional Facility Management Outsourcing & Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). Its NAICS code is 9221 and its SIC code is 8300.