Felonies don’t define futures.
A felony doesn’t define you.
Our History
William Cooley, Founder
Public Advocates in Community re-Entry (PACE) Indianapolis started in 1960 with a volunteer prison outreach program.
Offender Aid & Restoration (OAR) began in 1968 after a prison riot in Virginia, which inspired people to come together to help solve the problem. OAR started working in Marion County in 1982 to make the justice system fairer. PACE and OAR joined forces in 2002, focusing on sending volunteers to help in jails and prisons.
Later, they noticed more people leaving prison without support, so PACE/OAR changed how they worked and began helping people transition from prison back into the community with services like reuniting families, housing, support groups for substance abuse, and education.
PACE has been supported by United Way of Central Indiana since 1967.
Our Mission
The mission of PACE is to provide a variety of services to individuals impacted by the justice system and their families to lead productive and responsible lives in their community.
Our Vision for the Future
Our vision is to ensure that people returning to the community from incarceration have the tools and resources to successfully reenter; to promote public safety through effective reentry; and to enhance community stabilization through reduced crime and increased productiveness.
Our Values
Service
We help people in need to address social problems. Our employees elevate service to others above self-interest.
Dignity + Worth
We respect the person and treat everyone in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity.
Relationships
We recognize the central importance of human relationships and the power they hold for change.
Social Justice
We pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups.
Integrity
We behave in a manner consistent with our mission and vision, and the ethical practices of human service.
Competence
We focus on what we do best, and work to increase our knowledge and skills to better inform our practice and services.
