Thrive Under 25 (Thrive) is a transformative coalition that uses advocacy, legislation, and public education to end the racist, damaging, and punitive responses of DC’s adult criminal legal system toward people who came in contact with the system when they were under 25.  

Since 2019, Thrive has worked to address the needs of the court-involved emerging adult population in the District and aims to center the voices of those that are directly impacted. Thrive continuously develops new issue priorities based on the experiences of members who were or are currently incarcerated as young people to create safe and supportive communities for District youth and families without carceral systems. 

Thrive has been instrumental in criminal legal system advocacy and reform efforts in the District such as the passage of the Second Look Amendment Act of 2019, an expansion of the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA). Second Look allows a person who committed a crime before the age of 25, and who has served a minimum of 15 years in prison, to apply to the DC Superior Court to have their sentence reviewed. In addition, Thrive continues to work to address the abysmal conditions at the DC Jail, legislation that would allow young people more due process before being charged as adults in DC, and implementation of programming for young people returning home from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).