... Our Vision ...

     Power Inside seeks safety, dignity and justice for women and families in Baltimore. Social change that ends gender-based violence and all forms of oppression is necessary to make our vision a reality.

... Our Mission ...

     Power Inside is a human rights and harm reduction organization that serves women and girls who are survivors of gender-based violence and oppression.  We serve women impacted by incarceration, street life and abuse. We offer direct services, advocacy, leadership development and public education to help women build self-sufficiency, heal from violence, and avoid future criminal justice contact.

... Our History ...

     Power Inside was founded in May 2001 by Jacqueline Robarge as an all-volunteer program offering women's empowerment groups in the Baltimore City Detention Center. Over 2001 and 2002, Power Inside's members built the foundation for a strong support network rooted in sisterhood and self-advocacy. Our groups in the jail grew in size and number, serving as many as 50 women per week. In 2002, the founder received an OSI Community Fellowship Award to expand Power Inside’s services and advocacy beyond the Baltimore City Detention Center. From this financial support, Power Inside blossomed into a community-based program, offering community support groups, drop-in services, and court advocacy. In 2003, Fusion Partnerships, Inc. a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, became Power Inside’s fiscal sponsor, increasing our administrative capacity.

     In 2004, through the Assistance of the City of Baltimore's Office of Homeless Services, a street outreach component was added after we established a strong link between women's experience of street homelessness and detention in jail, as well as homelessness and trading sex. Power Inside became the first harm reduction street outreach program funded by the Office of Homeless Services to reach women caught in the cycle of jail, homelessness, and the sex trade. 

     In 2005, we conducted the first needs assessment of women in the Baltimore City Detention Center, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety and Johns Hopkins University. The study, Release from jail: Moment of crisis or window of opportunity for female detainees? was published in the Journal of Urban Health in 2006. For the first time, the community had data to back our claims of the overwhelming needs of women cycling through Baltimore's jail. In 2008, we collaborated with multiple agencies to produce a follow-up study on men detained at the Baltimore City Detention Center. The 2010 report, Adjusting the lens: A window into the needs of men in jail by Choice Research Associates shows that, like women, men face multiple barriers to a decent quality of life once they return to the community.

     Recognized for both our innovative services and commitment for vulnerable women, Power Inside has been invited to participate on the following policy-influencing bodies: Maryland Statewide Prisoner Reentry Taskforce; Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Female Offender Management Workgroup; Urban Institute/National Institute of Corrections Transition from Jail to Community Advisory Board; Prostitution Problem Solving Court Steering Committee; Mayor's Office on Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Implementation Council and Jail Reentry Subcommittee; Baltimore Homeless Services Service Provision Planning Council; Maryland Justice Coalition; and Baltimore City 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness Criminal Justice Subcommittee.

     Our frontline work is at the heart of who we are. Power Inside currently offers the following services: street-based community health outreach; group and individual interventions with incarcerated women; daytime drop-in resources; and research, public education and advocacy to expand community-wide access to health and treatment services. We serve more than 350 women per year. Power Inside is frequently called upon to provide technical assistance to city, state, and nonprofit entities that wish to make their services more accessible and effective. In addition to direct client services, we engage in advocacy, leadership development and public education to work toward systemic change. We now have seven committed staff members and thousands of women, past and present, who are part of the Power Inside family and make our story so rich and powerful.