Project Protocol

Project Protocol is an anonymous online platform designed to support people on parole. Our mission is to empower people on parole with community-driven resources and a space to share their experiences with state-funded supervision. In 2020, four years after being released from prison, Emiliano Lopez founded Project Protocol. The idea behind the platform was born out of Emiliano’s lived experience, one that roughly 35,000 other people on parole across California also experience but don’t often talk about for fear of retaliation. We recognize a critical gap in access to information about the parole experience. When we allow systems to operate behind closed doors, we see a lack of transparency and accountability in them. This can harm people and the community. Our vision is to create transparency, consistency, and accountability within the parole system. We do this by providing a space to share experiences by rating interactions with parole officers on a 1 to 5 scale to evaluate helpfulness, care, respect, and availability. We also give individuals access to reentry resources like information about voting rights, housing, employment, mental health support, and more.