About Us
FAMM’s mission is to create a more fair and effective justice system that upholds our American values of individual accountability and dignity while keeping our communities safe.
Fighting Unjust Sentencing and Prison Policies Since 1991
In 1990, Julie Stewart was public affairs director at the Cato Institute when she learned of mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Her brother had been arrested for growing marijuana in Washington State, pled guilty, and — though this was his first offense — was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. The judge criticized the punishment as too harsh, but the mandatory minimum law left him no choice.
Motivated by her family’s experience, Julie founded FAMM in 1991. The organization is committed to nonpartisanship and embraces the value of racial, cultural, and political diversity in its advocacy. FAMM’s greatest asset has always been the stories of its members. By sharing the impact of unjust sentencing and prison policies on incarcerated individuals, their families, and their communities, FAMM has helped create urgency around the issue and made the problem feel real to policymakers who have to be moved to make meaningful change. To learn more, please watch this video celebrating our 30th anniversary and the history lying between past and present.
Because of FAMM’s work, more than
500,000
Americans have received shorter, fairer prison sentences.
Key Accomplishments
- Enactment of federal legislation to reform sentencing and prison policies, including the 1994 drug sentencing safety valve, the Fair Sentencing Act, and the First Step Act of 2018;
- Repeal or reform of drug mandatory minimum sentences in multiple states, including Michigan, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, and Iowa;
- Numerous improvements to the federal sentencing guidelines, including several to reduce the severity of punishments for low-level drug offenses that were made retroactive, such as changes to the crack guidelines in 2009 and the all-drugs-minus-two reform of 2014;
- Serving as a founding member of Clemency Project 2014, one of the biggest pro bono mobilizations in history; which resulted in more than 1,700 people receiving sentence commutations from President Barack Obama;
- Successful advocacy at the US Supreme Court in major cases, including Booker v. United States, which returned significant sentencing authority to judges; and
- Recruitment and training of hundreds of impacted family members to be advocates for justice reform in their communities.
FAMM and Its Partners Have…
200k
PEOPLE
Reduced the nations prison population by
1989
PROGRESS
Decreased racial disparities and cut the Black prison population to its lowest level since
Billions
$$
Saved taxpayers
Leadership
Our Experts
Board
Our Partners
FAMM is honored to partner with several organizations to forward our mission. They include:
- Arnold Ventures
- Coalition For Public Safety
- Galaxy Gives
- HRH Foundation
- Justice Action Network
- Kaphan Foundation
- The Ginkgo Fund
- The Joseph P. And Colleen M. Brandon Family Foundation
- The Just Trust
- The Norma Green Foundation
- Vital Projects Fund
- Zarrow Family Foundation
- Zoom Foundation
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Employment Opportunities
Employees of FAMM are deeply motivated to help fight the injustice and burden of mandatory minimum sentencing. The work is meaningful and the impact is profound. Whether you work as a paid full-time staff member or volunteer at one of our events, your contributions will help us to achieve our mission.
Employment at FAMM is based upon qualifications and competency. FAMM does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, color, sexual/gender orientation, marital status, parental status, veteran’s status, union activity, political affiliation, physical or mental disability unrelated to an individual’s ability to perform the job or any other basis prohibited by law.
Research Attorney
Media & News
Read the latest news, view people’s stories, and learn how you can help our ongoing efforts.
Get In Touch
Media Inquiries
Have a question, or need to reach out to one of FAMM’s expert staff members? Our media relations team is happy to help!
If you have media questions, please contact us at media@famm.org.
If you have a general question for FAMM and are not a member of the media, please use the Contact form below.
Contact Us
Questions, comments, or technical problems? Please use the form below to contact us.
If you’re a reporter looking for assistance, please email media@famm.org.