User Voice was founded in 2009 by Mark Johnson, an ex-offender and former drug abuser.  Their work is led and delivered by ex-offenders who consistently foster dialogue between users and providers of services within the criminal justice system. They aim to advance education for the public benefit in criminal justice and the rehabilitation of offenders by conducting study and research and disseminating the useful results of that research to the public. They believe that rehabilitation is possible, and people with convictions can turn their lives into an active force for good in society. Rehabilitation is the goal of all their work, a process which goes deeper than reducing offending, although that is an outcome.