Our Team

Clinique Chapman brings a deep commitment to justice, systems transformation and centering the dignity of all impacted by the carceral system. Most recently, she served as an Associate Director at the Vera Institute of Justice, leading efforts within the Restoring Promise initiative to drive cultural and systemic change inside U.S. prisons. During her tenure, Clinique served as the first author of Dignity Principles: A Guide to Ensure the Humane Treatment of People in U.S. Carceral Settings, a groundbreaking publication now used as a national framework for reform.

Previously, Clinique was a Program Manager at the D.C. Department of Corrections, where she centered the dignity of those most impacted within the system through the development of innovative programming, including the creation of the jail’s non-contracted behavioral health team. Clinique honed her skills as a forensic clinical social worker and zealous advocate in her role as a sentencing advocate and mitigation specialist with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.

Clinique is also an adjunct professor at the Howard University School of Social Work. She has served on the inaugural board of the D.C. Justice Lab and currently sits on the advisory board of Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop. Her collaborative leadership within the D.C. Department of Corrections is featured in the acclaimed documentary, Daughters, which premiered on Netflix in 2024.

A proud double alumna of Howard University, Clinique holds a BA in Sociology with a minor in Administration of Justice, and an MSW from the Howard University School of Social Work. She is also a certified instructor through Temple University’s Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program.