- We believe that an effective criminal justice system should serve victims, defendants, and the public. The problems of unfairness and bias that plague the system significantly harm all three parties. Until the criminal justice system can stop pitting each party against one another in a zero-sum game, it will fail.
- We believe that significant race and class biases permeate the criminal justice system and impact not only which defendants receive which punishments, but also the availability of services and support for victims and their families. We believe these disparities are both intolerable and destructive.
- We believe the death penalty is the most visible and egregious example of the criminal justice system’s failings, running counter to common sense solutions to crime and public safety. In addition to the death penalty’s own failings, this policy exposes many of the system’s other flaws. For these reasons, EJUSA’s primary long-term goal is to end the death penalty and use the resources currently wasted on maintaining it to prevent crime and expand services that provide real help to homicide survivors in the aftermath of murder. We see repeal of the death penalty as an integral component of a smart and effective criminal justice system.
- We invest in strategies that find common ground among disparate constituencies – including law enforcement, victims, and defendants – because we believe that a successful criminal justice system has to work for everyone.
- We believe that ordinary citizens have the power, wisdom, and experience to shape public policies that affect their lives.
- We lament the growing feeling among activists and citizens that they are powerless to make change, and believe that a critical part of our work is to overcome despair. We are cheerleaders, working to instill hope that anyone can make a difference and that small and simple actions matter. We provide concrete tools for action so that authentic hope is possible.
- Our work starts from a place of relationship-building because we believe that leadership for lasting change has to come from the people who live in the local communities or states in which we are working. We believe in building and augmenting the capacity and confidence of local leaders, knowing when to take their leads and when to push for a shift in strategy. We believe that our success in working as a national group with state and local partners comes from our deep respect for them and our awareness that we cannot take their trust in us for granted.
- We avoid parachuting in for a quick win that doesn’t recognize or coordinate with local leadership – even though this may place limitations on our work. We accept these limitations because we believe that change won’t “stick” in the long term if the impetus for it is not homegrown.
- Our expertise comes from the fact that we roll up our sleeves and work side-by-side with activists on the ground.
- We invest in state campaigns early in their development, sometimes before a win is foreseeable, because we understand that change does not happen overnight and sometimes takes years of slow building.
- We believe in patience. Learning, leadership development, and movement building take time. It’s worth the wait. At the same time, we strive for concrete results rather that “feel good” actions. We learn to love the graceful dance required to balance these sometimes competing interests.
- We maximize every dollar because we realize that every little bit can make a big difference to local grassroots leaders.
