Every day, we’re faced with headlines screaming of new crises, leaving many feeling isolated and helpless just when we need to come together. Meanwhile, the prison industrial complex is becoming less transparent about abuse, and advocacy groups are searching for new and innovative ways to make a difference. We believe that the most effective and lasting movements are those that bring people together through shared experiences, not just urgency. That’s why we created the Journey to Justice Tour.
Our mission is to grow our national network of change-makers committed to human rights, justice, and ending torture. Our focus is on ending solitary confinement, a practice recognized as torture by the United Nations. We’ve designed a tour that blends traditional advocacy with creative “artivism” experiences to make activism accessible and deeply human. Through our mobile hub—a traveling bus equipped with interactive exhibits—and engaging events, we’re bringing together students, survivors, and community leaders to spark dialogue and foster transformative empathy.
This is more than a tour; it’s a movement. It’s a call to action for each of us to build a future free from the horrors of solitary confinement and show that a different world is possible.
The Unlock the Box Campaign is a coalition of organizations and movement leaders who partner with state and local campaigns across the United States with the common goal of ending the use of solitary confinement for all people.
We work to empower directly impacted people with the skills and knowledge to navigate legislative and policy change so that they may advocate
This tour is made possible by the generous support of:
The Journey to Justice Tour is a national bus tour designed to end the use of torture in the U.S. carceral system, specifically solitary confinement. The tour will travel coast-to-coast on an eight-week mission to educate and inspire. The tour bus acts as a mobile hub for change growing our national network of change-makers. With stops organized by grassroots state campaigns, it employs a creative, blended framework of education and entertainment to create engaging, informative, and community-building experiences nationwide.
The tour is a collaboration between Unlock the Box, the national campaign against solitary confinement, and Look2Justice, a grassroots organization of systems-impacted organizers. The driving forces behind the tour include the wide network of Unlock the Box’s state campaigns and the forthcoming book “Ending Isolation,” co-written by Christopher Blackwell, Prof. Deborah Zalesne, Dr. Terry Kupers, and Kwaneta Harris. The team is a blend of seasoned advocates, expert researchers, authors, directly impacted people, and Emmy-award-winning producers.
Each tour stop is unique, with events and activities organized by the local Unlock the Box state campaign. This ensures that the programming is tailored to the specific community. The Journey to Justice bus serves as a mobile advocacy hub, offering immersive experiences like a model solitary cell, VR experiences illustrating the realities of solitary confinement, and a photo exhibit called “Windows into Solitary”. Events will mix traditional panels and book readings with public forums, Movement mixer concerts, and film screenings. The goal is to ignite conversation, inspire action, and empower communities to continue the fight against solitary confinement long after the bus departs.
You can join the movement to end solitary confinement by supporting the Journey to Justice Tour. The tour is a transformational movement that equips campaigns and communities with the education, insight, and relationships needed to build a future free from solitary confinement. Your tax-deductible contribution, no matter the amount, is an investment in this powerful initiative that will activate thousands of people across the country. You can also continue the fight long after the bus leaves by using the toolkits and discussion guides that will be made available for student groups, college classes, and community organizations.
Check our Schedule page for up-to-date information on tour stops and events.
Whether you’ve been directly impacted or simply believe in justice, your action can change lives.
