Led by Lived Experience.
Built for Justice.
Rooted in Community.
Nation Outside is a Michigan-based nonprofit led by people directly impacted by incarceration. Founded in 2014, we were created from a simple but powerful belief: the people closest to the harms of the criminal legal system must be central to leading the work of change.
Our work is guided by the principle “By Us, For Us, and With Us.” We advance policies, practices, and systems of support that help justice-impacted individuals, families, and communities move from survival to stability, healing, leadership, and belonging.
We are not simply a reentry organization. We are a statewide movement of credible messengers, peer navigators, advocates, trainers, and community leaders who know that successful reentry requires more than a referral list. It requires trust, practical support, community connection, and systems change.
Who We Are
We are led by individuals who have lived through incarceration and are now transforming the systems that shaped their lives. We treat lived experience as expertise. Our staff, peer navigators, and community leaders bring credibility, empathy, and accountability to work that is often done without the voices of those most impacted.
Through our Trauma-Informed Peer-Led Reentry model, civic engagement work, leadership development, workforce supports, transportation assistance, and community-based advocacy, we help people come home, stay home, and lead change in their communities.
Our vision is to transform the landscape of reentry and justice in the United States by centering lived experience as expertise. We envision a world where people impacted by the criminal legal system lead the movement to create lasting change; breaking barriers, building futures, and ensuring that every person has the opportunity to heal, thrive, and lead.
What makes
Nation Outside Different?
What sets Nation Outside apart is not only what we do, but who leads the work.
We are built on the belief that being formerly incarcerated is not a disqualification. It is a qualification for leadership, trust-building, and systems change. Our credible-messenger model allows trained Peer Navigators with lived experience to build trust quickly and sustain engagement over time, improving follow-through and reducing strain on correctional, court, emergency, and community systems.
We combine community-rooted leadership with data-informed strategy, training, advocacy, and direct support. In 2025 alone, we delivered 1,825 pre-release in-reach sessions, 894 intake assessments, 753 90-day follow-up assessments, 3,248 individual peer support sessions, 6,072 client contacts, and 17,865 documented progress notes across Michigan.
Nation Outside offers a model that is community-powered, measurable, and deeply human.
Our History
Nation Outside was founded in 2014 by a collective of formerly incarcerated individuals and allies who understood that true justice must be shaped by those who have experienced the system firsthand. What began as a grassroots effort to lift the voices of people returning home has grown into a statewide movement for equity, accountability, and transformation.
From the beginning, our vision has been clear: those closest to the problem must lead the solution. We launched regional chapters across Michigan to create local hubs of civic engagement, peer support, and advocacy. We’ve organized campaigns that have shifted public policy, built trusted relationships with state and local systems, and developed leadership pathways for people impacted by incarceration.
Over the past decade, Nation Outside has evolved into a trusted partner in reentry innovation. Our Trauma-Informed Peer-Led Reentry (TIPLR) program, developed and delivered by system-impacted leaders, is the first of its kind in Michigan and is now a model being looked at nationwide. With over 7,000 members, a growing network of strategic partnerships, and deep community roots, Nation Outside is redefining what reentry—and leadership—can look like.
Our history is still being written by the people we walk alongside: returning citizens rebuilding their lives, families reconnecting after incarceration, Peer Navigators turning lived experience into leadership, and communities choosing healing over exclusion.
Our Journey
2014 - Nation Outside is Founded
2015-2019 - Grassroots Organizing & Regional Chapters
2019 - Growth through Fiscal Sponsorship
2020 - Formal Incorporation
2023 - Securing 501(c)(3) Status & Statewide Investment
2024 - Stepping into Independence
2024 - Launching TIPLR Services
2024 - Receiving State Approval for TIPLR Training
2025 - Expanding Statewide Impact
2026 - Strengthening Relationships, Infrastructure & Shared Leadership
In December 2014, a dedicated assembly of Michigan activists united with a common purpose. They identified an urgent imperative to empower individuals directly affected by the legal system, leading to the establishment of Nation Outside: The Voice of The Formerly Incarcerated.
Nation Outside begins as a grassroots effort to lift the voices of people returning home. We launched regional chapters across Michigan to build local hubs of civic engagement, peer support, and advocacy.
Nation Outside entered fiscal sponsorship with Safe & Just Michigan, helping our organization expand its reach, operations, and statewide movement-building work.
Nation Outside became a nonprofit organization, strengthening its ability to build partnerships, raise resources, and create a long-term home for justice-impacted-led advocacy and support.
Nation Outside became incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization and was written into the State budget, securing a $2 million allocation through a fee-for-service MDOC contract.
Nation Outside officially ended its fiscal sponsorship with Safe & Just Michigan and entered a new chapter as an independent organization.
Nation Outside signed its MDOC contract, onboarded 20 Peer Navigators, and began delivering Trauma-Informed Peer-Led Reentry services across Michigan.
Nation Outside’s TIPLR curriculum received Full Approval as an MDHHS-approved Community Health Worker training program.
Nation Outside delivered thousands of peer-led reentry services across Michigan, including pre-release in-reach, intake assessments, peer support sessions, client contacts, and 90-day follow-up services.
Nation Outside entered 2026 focused on strengthening trust, communication, board and staff alignment, shared leadership, and long-term sustainability. As the organization continues to grow, it is investing in the relationships, systems, data, and fund development strategies needed to sustain its impact.
Invest in lived-experience leadership.
Nation Outside is building a future where people impacted by incarceration are not pushed to the margins, but recognized as leaders, neighbors, workers, parents, advocates, and changemakers. Whether you are a returning citizen, family member, community partner, policymaker, volunteer, or funder, there is a place for you in this work.
Together, we can build the support, opportunity, and power people need not only to come home, but to stay home, thrive, and lead lasting change.
