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Worth Rises is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of those it touches. The organization exposes the commercialization of the criminal legal system and advocates and organizes to protect and return the economic resources extracted from affected communities and strip the industry of its power. Through this work, Worth Rises is helping to clear the road toward a safe and just world free of police and prisons. Find out more at worthrises.org.

Bianca is the Founder and Executive Director of Worth Rises, combining her direct experience with the criminal legal system and expertise in financial and legal services to challenge the prison industry.

Before founding Worth Rises in 2017, Bianca was a legal fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, where she investigated the perverse financial incentives created by correctional funding. Previously, Bianca also worked with various state and local corrections agencies, including New York City, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Most notably, in New York City, she drafted the young adult plan that eliminated solitary confinement for young adults 21 years old and younger—a first in the nation.

Bianca has also consulted to the Association of State Correctional Administrators and worked for the Campaign to End Mass Incarceration at the American Civil Liberties Union. Bianca co-founded College Pathways at Rikers Island, a preparation program for incarcerated students interested in pursuing higher education. 

Before committing her career to the struggle for justice, Bianca worked as a financial analyst at Citigroup and Morgan Stanley. 

Bianca has been honored as a Draper Rickard Kaplan Entrepreneur, Art for Justice Fellow, TED Fellow, Equal Justice Works Fellow, Harvard University Presidential Public Service Fellow, Ford Foundation Public Interest Fellow, Paul & Daisy Soros New American Fellow, and an Education Pioneers Analyst Fellow. Bianca holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Joseph De la Luz works as a credible messenger, mentor, directly impacted speaker with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, a faith-based organization working to end state-sponsored torture including solitary confinement. Joseph has led discussions at local and national conferences, universities, and public rallies on the issue of solitary confinement. He currently lives in Paterson, New Jersey.

Victoria Maxwell is a current academic and former corrections officer. She holds a BS in Criminal Justice, an MA in Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Security Studies. Victoria has worked as a victim advocate, youth corrections officer, and dispatcher for private prisoner transport. She has a passion for criminal justice reform and ending the private prison industry.

Alysia Santo is a reporter for The Marshall Project. Her investigative reporting on the criminal justice system has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and elsewhere. She was a finalist for the 2021 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting for her reporting on Mississippi’s prison system. She was also a finalist for the Livingston Award in both 2016 and 2017 and a runner-up for the John Jay College/H.F. Guggenheim Prize for Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting in 2017 and 2019.

Eli Hager is a staff writer at The Marshall Project covering juvenile justice, family court, fines and fees and other issues. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, The Guardian, This American Life and elsewhere. He also edits on The Marshall Project‘s “Life Inside” series of essays by incarcerated writers and is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia University. In 2017, Eli was named a Livingston Award finalist for his investigation into private prisoner transportation.