Decarcerate KC is a project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) and claims to advocate for ending incarceration through community safety programs, pre-arrest diversion programs, and prevent the construction of a new jail in Kansas City through its #NoNewJailKC campaign. ¹

About

Decarcerate KC is a left-of-center organization that raises awareness of, and ends reliance on, incarceration through producing community events, programs, and education. ² Decarcerate KC is a project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) ¹ which provides support services to start-up nonprofits. SEE staff members partner with project directors to provide administrative and financial services. ³ Other projects of SEE include several environmentalist organizations such as the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, the Environmental Paper Network, Health Justice Commons, and Mothers and Others for Clean Air. ¹

Programs

Decarcerate KC’s “Reimagining Safety” program aims to create a community safety platform through research, public engagement, and public surveys. The public survey attempts to “better understand our community’s perception of public safety,” ⁴ and the survey inquires as to how frequently citizens encounter the police, how they would rate their experiences with the police, how safe they feel when they encounter the police, and how safe they feel in their neighborhoods. ⁵

In 2024, Decarcerate KC created a pre-arrest diversion program called Responding with Empathetic Alternatives and Community Health (REACH). ⁶ REACH helps “residents struggling with substance use, mental health issues, and extreme poverty without getting the criminal justice system involved.” ⁷

Other programs include “Community Safety Hubs,” which are small community groups across the city that regularly meet to discuss community safety, ⁸ as well as a book club that meets weekly. ⁹

#NoNewJailKC

Decarcerate KC’s “#NoNewJailKC” campaign aims to stop the construction of a new jail in Kansas City. The organization believes that a new jail “would only be used to lock up more Black & brown folks, women, and people experiencing poverty in our community.” ¹⁰

In 2023, Decarcerate KC organized to prevent the Kansas City Council from voting to allocate $6 million for a new city jail. As a result, the funds earmarked “for a new city jail design got cut in no small part to a showing from organizers with Decarcerate KC.” Decarcerate KC stated it “wanted to stop the money [the $6 million] from going to KCPD entirely,” and would allocate more funds to initiatives related to childcare, education, food, housing, and mental health services instead. ¹¹

In 2025, Decarcerate KC renewed its efforts to prevent city funds from funding a new jail by mobilizing against the proposed renewal of a Public Safety Sales Tax. The sales tax could cost taxpayers “up to $800 million for a new city jail,” and the sales tax will appear on the municipal election ballot in April 2025. ⁶

Leadership

Amaia Cook is a founding member of Decarcerate KC. Previously, she was the director of community organizing, advocacy, and strategic initiatives at the Urban League of Greater Kansas City. Cook attended Harvard Divinity School and earned a master’s degree in theological studies and African and African American religious studies. Cook also earned an undergraduate degree in English literature and classics from Washington University in St. Louis. ¹²

1. “Donate to a Project.” Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://saveourplanet.org/donate-to-a-project/.
2. “About Us.” DecarcerateKC. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.decarceratekc.org/about.
3. “About SEE.” Social and environmental entrepreneurs. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://saveourplanet.org/about-see/.
4. “Reimagining Safety.” DecarcerateKC, December 7, 2023. https://www.decarceratekc.org/campaign-initiatives/reimaginingsafety.
5. “Decarcerate KC Public Safety Survey 2023.” The Action Network. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://actionnetwork.org/forms/decarcerate-kc-public-safety-survey-2023/.
6. Mansaray, Mili. “Decarcerate KC to Launch Citywide Campaign against New Human Caging Facility.” The Kansas City Defender, January 30, 2025. https://kansascitydefender.com/aboltion/abolition/decarcerate-kc-to-launch-citywide-campaign-against-new-human-caging-facility/.
7. “REACH – Responding with Empathetic Alternatives & Community Health.” City of Kansas City. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/health/reach.
8.  “Community Safety Hubs.” DecarcerateKC, November 9, 2023. https://www.decarceratekc.org/campaign-initiatives/safety-hubs.
9. “Book Club & Political Education.” DecarcerateKC, December 7, 2023. https://www.decarceratekc.org/campaign-initiatives/politicaleducation.
10. “#NoNewJailKC.” DecarcerateKC, December 5, 2023. https://www.decarceratekc.org/campaign-initiatives/nonewjailkc.
11. White, Thomas. “KC Activists Celebrate $6m Cut from City Budget for New Jail Design.” The Community Voice, March 27, 2023. https://www.communityvoiceks.com/2023/03/27/kansas-city-cuts-6m-for-new-city-jail-design-thanks-in-part-to-an-appeal-from-decarcerate-kc/.
12. Amaia Cook.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amaia-cook-643789102