About A New Way of Life Reentry Project:

A New Way of Life Reentry Project (ANWOL) is a grassroots, nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by Susan Burton.  After Susan’s five-year old son was accidentally hit and killed by a car, Susan numbed her grief through alcohol and drug abuse. As a result, she became trapped in the criminal justice system for nearly two decades before finding freedom and sobriety in 1997. She has since made it her life’s mission to help other women adversely affected by the problems of incarceration and addiction by providing them with safety, support, and a second chance.  For her efforts, she was named a CNN Top Ten Hero for 2010.  She was also awarded the prestigiousCitizen Activist Award from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.  In recognition of her insight and leadership, she was appointed by Los Angeles County Supervisor, Mark Ridley Thomas, to be a member of the Los Angeles County Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections. In June of 2013, ANWOL was honored with a Ford Freedom Unsung Award that salutes "organizations that have positively impacted communities with achievements that inform and inspire others". Susan is currently a recipient of both the Encore Purpose Prize (2012) and a 2014 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.

The mission of ANWOL is to help women and girls break the cycle of entrapment in the criminal justice system and lead healthy and satisfying lives.

The organization’s goals are to:

1.      Provide clean, safe, sober home environments where formerly incarcerated women and their children feel welcomed and supported in their transition to becoming independent members of the community;

2.      Offer education, job training and skill-building opportunities for women to prepare them for self-sufficiency; and

3.      Serve as a leader and community advocate for the rights of women inmates, and formerly incarcerated people and their families.