Pioneer supports criminal justice-involved individuals with the services needed to successfully re-enter our communities. Our mission is to provide individuals with criminal histories the opportunity to lead healthy, productive lives.
Learn how you can Get Involved.
We believe that words are powerful and can be very stigmatizing and harmful when used to label our citizens who are or were formerly incarcerated. Let’s be clear, the individuals are first and foremost human beings!
We all need to remember that people released from prison or jail share common and descriptive names with everyone else in society to include: grandparent, parent, son and daughter, extended family member, friend, neighbor, colleague and employee. These are the only type of names that should ever be used to describe a person.
When talking about people who have been involved in the criminal justice system, here are labels to avoid and terms that are acceptable:
NEVER USE
|
Convict |
ex-Con |
Inmate |
ex-Inmate |
|
Offender |
ex-Offender |
Criminal |
Prisoner |
|
Felon |
ex-Felon |
Parolee |
Watch a Video about Pioneer
Pioneer Human Services is a nonprofit (501c3) social enterprise. One-hundred percent of our revenues are reinvested within the organization.
One of our employees at Pioneer Center East in Spokane shared her personal journey through incarceration and addiction into becoming an active volunteer and advocate for the rights of formerly incarcerated individuals....Read more >>
By Patti Payne – Columnist, Puget Sound Business Journal May 17....Read more >>
You make choices when you’re young that can really affect the rest of your life – but you have no clue at the time. I came from a good family but my parents divorced when I was six and I became a latch key....Read more >>