WHO WE ARE
OUR MISSION
Life-affirming Alternatives to Incarceration
La Defensa is a femme-led 501(c)(4) advocacy organization dedicated to shifting Los Angeles County’s reliance on criminalization and incarceration towards systems of care that center human dignity.
We defend the presumption of innocence through policies that challenge pretrial detention, we advocate for local and state budgets that reflect our values and we challenge judicial power by building public resources and electoral power. Our work is informed by the legacy of the communities we belong to: Chicanx, queer, immigrant, undocumented, working class people with incarcerated loved ones.
Femme-led AND ABOLITIONISt
Our powerful, dynamic team has organizing & policy expertise in racial, gender & intersectional social justice fights. We harness our collective experience with Decarceration Policy, Budget Advocacy, Harm Reduction Policy, Grassroots Community Organizing, Campaign Communications, Labor Organizing, and Arts-based Organizing to fight for our communities. Click on the team member images below to read more about where we come from, and where our abolitionist dreams are leading us.