We are a group of Stanford students who seek to redress the many issues facing inmates in California's incarceration system. The complexities of these issues require multi-faceted approaches. Stanford Beyond Bars' mission is therefore three-pronged: we aim to educate inmates, raise awareness of incarceration issues, and advocate for improvements in the system at large.

We work directly with inmates in the San Francisco county jails (in partnership with the Northern California Service League). We hold weekly meetings at the Haas Center (Tuesday nights at 9), and put on frequent awareness events that highlight issues inmates face and more general problems in the criminal justice system. We aim to improve our understanding of these issues by developing and strengthening relationships with local community organizations.

Organized student interest in prison advocacy began when former Stanford graduate student Will Edwards held an information session at the Haas Center to solicit students interested in prison issues. He discussed his experiences working as a GED and reading tutor in the San Francisco county jails (in conjunction with the Northern California Service League).

The information session sparked the eventual creation of Stanford Beyond Bars. During Winter Quarter 2003-2004, a group of students (led by Cammie Lee and Nicole Medeiros) began creating the framework for a student organization that would help provide tutoring in jails and promote discussion, debate, and awareness of incarceration issues in the Stanford community. Stanford Beyond Bars received official approval from the Office of Student Affairs and the Haas Center for Public Service during Spring Quarter 2003-2004.