N.E.W. Releases 2021 Impact Report

Inaugural Report Highlights Groundbreaking Impact of Removing Barriers for Americans with Criminal Records

NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - As part of a nationwide, grassroots effort to improve social justice through legal relief, National Expungement Works (N.E.W.) released its inaugural Impact Report, highlighting its successful 2021 efforts to repair the harms of the criminal justice system through free legal and wraparound services for individuals with a criminal record.

"The mere existence of a criminal record – no matter the circumstances – has forced millions of mostly Black and brown Americans to face systemic racial discrimination, poverty, and housing insecurity," said Alicia Brown, Director of Development & Benevolent Partnerships, N.E.W. "I continue to be impressed by the community activation and dexterity of our volunteers and their ability to remain malleable to the immediate needs of the communities we serve."

Over 48,000 barriers exist for formerly incarcerated individuals upon release from prison or jail. These obstacles often prevent over 70 million Americans who have an arrest or conviction on their record from finding employment, housing, voting, education, and other opportunities. N.E.W. works to end this cycle by providing year-round programming including legal relief, wraparound services, and advocacy to alleviate the impact of these barriers.

On the heels of a challenging year, N.E.W.'s 2021 Impact Report outlines the progress made over the past year. Highlights of the report include:

• Generated over $700M in public benefit including increased wages, reduced public spending, and other benefits in the next two years.
• Supported policy efforts that resulted in helping over 65,000 Americans begin the process to expunge or seal their records and held dozens of events across the country to provide wraparound services including legal relief, employment workshops, food and produce giveaways, health screenings, and voter registration.
• Supported Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón in identifying nearly 66,000 cannabis convictions that will be dismissed as part of his ongoing efforts to reverse the injustices of drug laws
• Hosted several successful events including annual Week of Action & Awareness (WOAA) featuring 21 events (virtual and in-person) across 10 cities with over 1,500 attendees
• Created N.E.W. Fellowship Program, partnering with non-profit organizations to create online platforms for resources, information, and eligibility sessions that were provided to over 1,300 individuals in 19 cities across the country.

"Staying true to the mission, 2021 was about tapping into our organizers because I know they do this healing work 24/7, with or without N.E.W. I challenged myself to get better with my actions with, for, and beside them. 2022 is the year we can kick our 5-year wealth plan up a notch with our fellowship program. From learning how to lobby in your community to becoming a building owner, we are the ones that heal and keep each other safe as we continue forward in our process for reforming systems that were built against us. It's my belief that if there is a presence of N.E.W. in your community, and you have been systemically impacted or affected, and you need a safe haven to release; come talk it out with us, it's on us." - LaTorie Marshall, N.E.W. Founder

Additionally, N.E.W. spotlighted key partnerships that lead to a successful year of achievements, including Canopy Growth Corporation, a presenting sponsor since the organization's inception.

"The cannabis industry has a responsibility to equity-deserving communities, and at Canopy Growth, we are committed to this work through our investment in partnerships with community organizations such as N.E.W.," said Hilary Black, Chief Advocacy Office at Canopy Growth Corporation. "As we evolve our social impact strategy with the support of our community partners, we continue to learn about the injustices faced by equity-deserving communities. This includes the difficulties faced by people impacted by the criminal justice system - including the potential for the accumulation of additional progressive charges.  The comprehensive, wrap-around services, such as N.E.W.'s Brake Light Clinics, are a direct response to the barriers and experiences of justice-impacted communities."

Since 2018, N.E.W. has generated tangible results in the lives of over 65,000 people who have begun the expungement process. In addition, over 7,000 have received wrap-around services such as voter registration, job support, health screenings, and assistance with housing and food insecurity, and 950 have had fines reduced or cleared. 

N.E.W's 2022, Brake Light Clinics will begin February 27th, 2022, in Maryland at Autozone of 7755 Landover Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20785

About National Expungement Works
National Expungement Works (N.E.W.) is a collective of 632 volunteers, individuals, and organizations who have come together to emancipate justice-impacted communities which have been exploited by systemic inequities and injustices brought about by the War on Drugs.  We build and restore pathways for generational healing and wealth. For more information, please visit newxnow.org or follow N.E.W. on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

About Canopy Growth Corporation
Canopy Growth is a world-leading diversified cannabis and cannabinoid-based consumer product company, driven by a passion to improve lives, end prohibition, and strengthen communities by unleashing the full potential of cannabis. Leveraging consumer insights and innovation, we offer product varieties in high-quality dried flower, oil, softgel capsule, infused beverage, edible, and topical formats, as well as vaporizer devices by Canopy Growth and industry-leader Storz & Bickel. Our global medical brand, Spectrum Therapeutics, sells a range of full-spectrum products using its colour-coded classification system and is a market leader in both Canada and Germany. Through our award-winning Tweed and Tokyo Smoke banners, we reach our adult-use consumers and have built a loyal following by focusing on top quality products and meaningful customer relationships. Canopy Growth has entered into the health and wellness consumer space in key markets including Canada, the United States, and Europe through BioSteel sports nutrition, and This Works skin and sleep solutions; and has introduced additional hemp derived CBD products to the United States through our First & Free and Martha Stewart CBD brands. Canopy Growth has an established partnership with Fortune 500 alcohol leader Constellation Brands. For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com. 

SOURCE National Expungement Works