Last week EJUSA participated in two collaborations addressing violence and mass incarceration, both hosted by our friends at Common Justice.
The first was a panel of crime survivors at Common Justice’s conference, “Accounting for Violence: How to Increase Safety and Break our Failed Reliance on Mass Incarceration.” EJUSA was honored to get a shout on for our long history working with crime survivors during the conference’s opening remarks. Then our Trauma Advocacy Initiative Director, Fatimah Loren Muhammad, moderated the panel on survivor-centered responses to violence.
Survivor-leaders from across the country shared their experiences and perspectives on how the current reliance on incarceration fails crime survivors and their communities. Fatimah and the other speakers emphasized that effective responses to violence must focus on addressing trauma and helping survivors heal.
Panels later that day tackled issues of accountability, safety, and racial equity. The conference was filled with powerful testimony from individuals on the front lines and an exciting vision for smarter ways to address violence. You can watch the entire conference below, with Fatimah and the crime survivor panel starting at the 34 minute mark.
EJUSA also participated in an online discussion follow-up to the conference for the new “Issue Time” on Action by Tumblr. Fatimah and other experts answered questions on violence and mass incarceration posed by Tumblr followers. They offered insights on issues like why we often fail to address underlying problems of violence, what an average person can do to help, and why our nation doesn’t invest more in rehabilitation.
A sneak peak from Fatimah:
Click here to see the rest of the Tumblr Q&A.
And here’s the Common Justice conference, with the crime survivors panel at the 34 minute mark:
