About Us

Our History

Public Advocates in Community Re-Entry (PACE) was founded in 1960, providing volunteer visitors a single prison in Indiana. Subsequently, Offender Aid & Restoration (OAR) started its work in 1968, after a state prison riot in Richmond, Virginia over inhumane conditions. This incident prompted citizens to band together in search of a solution. This search led them to the doorstep of the local jail. OAR chose jails as its focus because it is there that people first and most often experience incarceration. OAR - Marion County began operating in 1982 and was dedicated to making the criminal justice system more just. PACE and OAR officially merged in December 2002. After this merger the organization continued to operate solely with volunteers that provided services inside jails and prisons.

Eventually the organization began to see an increase in the number of people being released from prison without resources, which prompted a shift in operations. PACE/OAR began to offer transitional services to those individuals who were being released from prison back into the community. The services included family reunification, transitional housing, substance abuse groups, and education. Due to reduced funding the programs offered in local jails and prisons were discontinued and the focus shifted to assisting those returning from incarceration.

In 2010 the Board of Directors decided it was time to change the name of the organization to match the work being done, as the agency had dramatically increased the number of reentry services it provided.

After a year of careful consideration, studies and meetings, the name was changed to Public Advocates in Community re-Entry. PACE continues to work exclusively with justice-impacted individuals in Central Indiana.

PACE has been a United Way agency since 1967, and in 2022 was awarded a $3 million sustainability grant (endowment) by Lilly Endowment Inc.

Our Principles

MISSION:

To provide a variety of services to individuals and families impacted by the justice system to ensure they are afforded the opportunity to lead productive and responsible lives in their communities.

VISION:

To ensure that people returning to the community from incarceration have the tools and resources to successfully re-enter; to promote public safety through effective re-entry; and to enhance community stabilization through reduced crime and increased productivity.

OUR VALUES:
  • SERVICE - Our primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems. Our employees elevate service to others above self-interest.
  • SOCIAL JUSTICE - We challenge social injustice by pursuing social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people.
  • DIGNITY AND WORTH OF THE PERSON - We respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person and treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity.
  • IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS - We recognize the central importance of human relationships and that they serve as an important vehicle for change.
  • INTEGRITY - We behave in a trustworthy manner, continually aware of the organization's mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards and practice in a manner consistent with them.
  • COMPETENCE - We practice within our areas of competence and develop and continually strive to increase our professional knowledge and skills and to apply them in practice.