(AllHipHop News) Promise is a technology aiming to improve the American criminal justice system. The company, co-founded by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins and Diana Frappier, aims to create a sustainable and scalable program that will reduce the number of people behind bars, recidivism, and the cost of care by extending the capabilities of community supervision.
Promise is set to debut at Y Combinator’s Demo Day on March 20 in Mountain View, California. First Round Capital has included investments by Roc Nation LLC, Y Combinator, Kapor Capital, 8VC, and Adelfos.
“We are increasingly alarmed by the injustice in our criminal justice system,” stated Roc Nation founder Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. “Money, time and lives are wasted with the current policies. It’s time for an innovative and progressive technology that offers sustainable solutions to tough problems. Promise’s team, led by Phaedra, is building an app that can help provide ‘liberty and justice for all’ to millions.”
Promise steps in during the pre-trial process to assist those that cannot afford bail. Following a comprehensive intake procedure, Promise sets up an individualized plan for each participant.
Individualized plans are established for each participant where each person is offered support to help them succeed with their plans. The app also provides coordinated referrals and support based on individual needs, including job training, housing, counseling, and more.
The court or other stakeholders can have access to custom reports and analytics. Additionally, the app will allow case managers to handle larger caseloads while increasing quality of care and support for positive long-term outcomes for Promise participants.
“We thank Jay-Z and the entire Roc Nation family for recognizing the life changing capabilities of Promise,” said Lamkins. “We are thrilled to have First Round Capital, Roc Nation, Y Combinator, Kapor Capital, 8VC and Adelfos as our partners, but more importantly we are committed to building a company that gives government a solution to work towards a more humane system.”