Our founder, Ginny Parham, knows firsthand the deep isolation, hopelessness, and disempowerment that families feel when a loved one is pulled into the criminal justice system. Her son, Willie Nobles, was arrested at 18 years old and sentenced to 96 years in prison after becoming entangled in gang life at the young age of 12.
Supporting him through that devastating sentence opened Ginny’s eyes to how few resources exist for families in similar situations, and how much of the struggle is faced alone.
From the beginning, Families Shoulder to Shoulder has been about changing that reality. We provide a community where impacted families can connect, share experiences, and support one another. Our work is rooted in participatory defense, involving families directly in the defense process to influence case outcomes and challenge systemic racism and classism in the legal system.
Through weekly hub meetings, we break down legal complexities, offer guidance, and create space for families to take meaningful action. We mobilize community members to write letters for individuals facing resentencing, clemency, or Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) hearings. We attend court proceedings, testify to support release, and bring together personal experience, legal expertise, and collective care to stand with families in some of their hardest moments.
Since our founding, we have built strong partnerships with groups like the Black Prisoners Caucus Community Group, Participatory Justice, the Washington Defender Association, the Redemption Project of Washington, the Seattle Clemency Project, and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ). Together, we work toward prison reform, sentencing fairness, and the belief that every person deserves dignity, fairness, and the chance to come home.
Families Shoulder to Shoulder exists to replace isolation with connection, disempowerment with agency, and injustice with action, so no family ever has to face this journey alone.
