About Friends Outside
We are a nonprofit community based organization that has been providing programs and service to families and individuals involved in the criminal justice system since 1955.

We believe in respect for others; in the capacity of human beings to change; and in the importance of the family and the community in the development of resilient, responsible and capable people.

A Brief History
In 1955, Rosemary Goodenough, an Englishwoman living in California, began the work that was to become “Friends Outside”. A Quaker and a tireless advocate for social justice, she created and nourished a Mission that has continued for over fifty years.

The year 1955 was the heart of the McCarthy Era….a time of great conformity and rigid social structures and norms. It was also the year that Rosa Parks refused to sit at the back of the bus. Rosemary defied conventions of the time and spoke out loudly and clearly for incarcerated people, for their families, and for their children. It was a time of change.

Rosemary recruited allies in the faith community, in corrections and law enforcement, in the California Legislature and in the United States Congress.This commitment to advocacy lives on in the Mission and in the work.

Friends Outside is an organization based on principles; it is a network of agencies who share Mission and name;  and it is a way of life. In 1985, the community-based chapters that were part of  Friends Outside National Organization became separately incorporated.

Today, they are represented by our eight chapter/affiliates. We continue to share Mission and name; we continue to share joy in the work.

Together, we make a difference.