When the Restorative Justice Project joined Equal Justice USA in 2023, we knew they were ready to grow their work — and that the world needed greater access to restorative justice. This past year, the first significant step in that growth occurred as we partnered with four new communities to launch restorative justice diversion programs. These diversion programs shift people from a lens of punishment toward healing. This process is rooted in an understanding that harm stems from existing trauma, including racial oppression, and that harm requires healing and accountability that repairs for all parties affected by a harmful experience.
In 2024, our Restorative Justice Program began partnering with Hinds County, MS; Richmond, VA; Oakland County, MI; and Pulaski County, AR. These communities have started in the early stages to receive training and technical support from EJUSA as they strive to develop programs that provide a pathway for accountability while addressing the root causes of harm. These programs also aim to prevent youth from entering the punitive criminal system, instead offering a structured process that helps those who have caused harm and have been harmed.
The momentum continued in August when leaders from these four organizations joined EJUSA staff in Minnesota to launch their work officially. During this gathering, they dove into restorative pathways to healing, a training offered to the system partners present. Community-based organizations also participated in community circle training, where they began to learn about how circles can be used to build community.
For Cymone Fuller, Senior Restorative Justice Director at EJUSA, “Developing partnerships in these four communities allows us to expand our restorative justice diversion work in the Southern and Midwestern regions of the country—areas that will strengthen the national representation of our Restorative Justice Diversion Collaborative and tend to the areas of our country experiencing the heaviest resurgence of tough-on-crime backslides.”
These programs will continue to focus on designing and implementing these kinds of programs, engaging their communities, and building the partnerships needed to build out their work. It’s the beginning of a journey that will reshape justice for these communities and inspire similar efforts.
Throughout 2025, we’ll be sharing stories from our partners and the communities they serve. Look for updates on the incredible happenings across the country.
