BROKEN Concept stage · in development
Concept
Not yet built
Status: FreedomSure is a proposed concept. It has not been built, tested, or approved by any agency.
Status: concept stage · in development
Funders: see the full model →
Seeking partners
What we're looking for
Broken Champions is seeking supervision-agency pilot partners, legal and privacy advisors, and funding to develop and independently evaluate it.
Technical violations send people back
The problem
Not new crimes
Many returns to custody come from technical violations rather than new crimes: a missed appointment, a misunderstood condition, a curfew mix-up, a fee that slipped.
The problem
Dozens of new rules
People leave prison into dozens of new rules with no phone, no calendar, and often no one to explain them. Officers carry heavy caseloads and rotate. Instructions are often verbal, and later, memories differ.
The idea: two-way accountability
A proposed design, in development.
Reminders and preparation
Conditions, appointments, required programs, and what to bring, explained in plain language.
A calm, shared record
With announced consent and agency approval, a timestamped summary of supervision meetings so the person and the officer have the same understanding of what was asked and agreed.
Human and attorney oversight
The tool makes no decisions. Possible concerns are flagged for review by a licensed attorney or legal aid partner. It never gives legal advice.
Mentoring first
It supports Dream Teams and Broken Champions staff; it does not replace people.
How FreedomSure aligns with Second Chance Act priorities
Policy alignment. The Second Chance Act and Bureau of Justice Assistance solicitations emphasize reducing technical violations, measuring outcomes, and promoting accountability. FreedomSure is designed around those priorities.
Fewer technical violations
The Second Chance Reauthorization Act (2018) prioritizes graduated, community-based responses to minor and technical violations. FreedomSure is designed to help people keep track of the appointments and conditions behind many technical violations.
Accountability
BJA supervision solicitations ask grantees to “measure outcomes and promote accountability.” A shared, consent-based record supports accountability in both directions.
Mentoring & transitional services
The Act funds community nonprofits for mentoring and transitional services. FreedomSure is a supporting component of our Dream Teams mentoring model, not a standalone product.
Human decision-making
Consistent with U.S. Department of Justice guidance that AI should support, not replace, human decision-making, FreedomSure makes no risk scores and no decisions.
Evidence & measurement
Any pilot would run under a written agreement with a supervising agency, with an independent evaluator and the participant-level performance reporting BJA requires.
Privacy by design
User-controlled records, recording only with announced consent and agency approval, encryption, and clear limits on how data is used and retained.
What we will and won't do
Safeguards.
Will
- Operate only with a written agreement from the supervising agency
- Record only with announced, mutual consent and agency approval
- Route flagged concerns to licensed attorneys or legal aid
- Tell users plainly that records could be subpoenaed
- Publish evaluation results, with sample sizes
Won't
- Give legal advice or act as a lawyer
- Predict risk or score people
- Encourage confrontation with officers
- Capture substance-use treatment details without proper consent
- Claim results before a pilot is evaluated
Fine Print
Disclosures & sources
Concept stage · in development. FreedomSure is a proposed concept. It has not been built, tested, or approved by any agency.