Wellbeing & Equity Innovations
We achieve transformation through the promotion of wellbeing, equity, & human potential.
We Offer A Different Approach
Wellbeing and Equity Innovations (WEI) maintains an ongoing schedule of cooperative projects in partnerships throughout the country. WEI conducts research, trials, workshops, training and other programs tailored to your needs.
To find out more about our available resources, contact WEI.
JUNE 2025
SSWR Live Webinar – 4 PM – 5:30 PM ET | SSWR Task Force on Safeguarding Social Work Research: Helping Early Career Scholars Navigate the Road Ahead
FREE for all SSWR, CSWE, NADD, GADE, AASWSW, and GCSW members. Register by June 11, 2025. REGISTRATION
UTAH Criminal Justice Conference
Speaker Dr. Carrie Pettus | INTERVIEW
Our mission at WELLBEING & EQUITY INNOVATIONS is to promote thriving individuals, families, and communities by providing services and supports to those involved in the criminal justice system and the people and policymakers who serve them.
We translate evidence driven approaches into policies, programming, and quality improvement processes.
WE HELP YOU IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS
WEI is a national equity-centered translational research 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to helping justice and community partners transform their systems through researcher-practitioner partnerships. WEI collaborates with service providers and legal/justice system offices to build capacity for implementing, evaluating, and enhancing evidence-based policies and programs. Our focus areas include diversion and deflection, community violence, social support, trauma, behavioral health, and practices that improve the overall well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
WEI actively supports businesses in promoting the inclusion and retention of individuals with criminal histories. We offer guidance on inclusive hiring practices and help create supportive work environments, thus aiding businesses in tapping into a diverse talent pool and facilitating the successful reintegration of justice-involved individuals into the workforce.
WEI assists partners in innovating and reimagining their work by integrating rigorous research-to-practice feedback loops, technical assistance, and the delivery of evidence-informed practices and strategies. We identify solutions that maximize value for the people they serve using data-driven, quality improvement, and research and evaluation processes. Our team collaborates with partners to deliver state-of-the-art, data-driven services.
We Provide Documented Expertise
Research
Our Research efforts are focused on the criminal legal and justice systems, rooted in rigorous scientific inquiry, research-practitioner partnerships, and community collaboration.
We conduct randomized controlled trials, causal and qualitative studies, and quality improvement initiatives to generate evidence that informs best practices in justice reform.
By engaging in community participatory research methods, we ensure that our studies are grounded in the lived experiences of those most directly impacted by the justice system, leading to innovative and sustainable solutions that address real-world challenges.
WELLBEING DEVELOPMENT
Our Wellbeing Development focus is dedicated to enhancing the behavioral health and stability of individuals and families, particularly those impacted by the criminal legal and justice systems.
We address critical issues such as mental health, trauma recovery, and social support for those navigating the challenges of community stability.
Our initiatives aim to build resilient communities where families are supported, behavioral health needs are met, and individuals affected by the justice system can thrive.
RACIAL EQUITY
We are committed to advancing Racial Equity within the criminal legal and justice systems by challenging systemic inequities and promoting fair treatment.
Our work involves dismantling barriers that perpetuate racial disparities from initial law enforcement contact to incarceration, sentencing, and reentry, ensuring that race does not determine outcomes in justice, health, or economic stability.
Through research, education, and community engagement, we strive to create a more just and equitable society where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background.
WEI 5-Key Model
For Reentry
The 5-Key Model is based on an extensive research review of over 100,000 studies worldwide which found that, in general, there are five key ingredients to successful reentry.
These areas reflect our commitment to transforming the criminal legal and justice systems
through evidence-based practices, systemic change, and collaborative partnerships.
We GeneratE New Ideas That Address Big Problems
OUR SERVICES
- SOLUTIONS FOCUSED COACHING 100%
- WELL-BEING & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPPORT 100%
- TRANSLATION OF APPROACHES INTO POLICY & PROGRAMS 100%
- RESEARCH & EVALUATION 100%
- CONSULTATION 100%
- TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 100%
- QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROCESSES 100%
WHO WE SERVE
CORRECTIONS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS
such as first responders, law enforcement, correctional officers/administrators, judges, pretrial/probation/parole staff, prosecutors & public defenders.
PEER AND OTHER SERVICE PROFESSIONALS including service providers, program deliverers, policymakers and advocates.
INDIVIDUALS involved in the criminal justice system from first contact with law enforcement, to their interaction with prosecutors, their confinement in jail/prison, to their reentry and stabilization in the community.
FAMILY MEMBERS with loved ones involved in the criminal justice system.
