Our current criminal justice system harms millions of people – from crime survivors to the justice-involved and their families.
Reimagining Justice This Month highlights communities that are organizing for effective responses to violence – responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism.
“When Killer and Victim’s Mother Meet, Paths From Grief, Fear and Guilt Emerge,” The New York Times
A restorative justice program in Kansas brings together people whose lives are inextricably linked violence and death. Through “victim-offender dialogues,” those who commit harm come face-to-face with those who were harmed.
“Gun Violence Should Be Treated As A Public Health Crisis, Study Says,” NPR
The study helps show that “there must be a more coordinated approach to drive gun violence down, one that treats it as a public health epidemic and not just a policing problem.”
“5 dead, but hundreds more suffering,” The Boston Globe
In the aftermath of the deadly shooting at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, a reminder that the effects of violence go beyond the wounds of those physically hurt.
“Tackle problems of policing, racism as public health issue,” USA Today
A small town in Massachusetts is using some unique tactics to end biases that are killing black Americans – by tackling problems of policing and racism as public health issues.
“The doctor who predicted Chicago’s homicide epidemic,” Chicago Tribune
Dr Gary Slutkin, the Founder of our partner Cure Violence, predicted the increase in violence in Chicago. He also had a proven solution that went unfunded. “Treating violence epidemics in much the same way that we think of conventional epidemics has proved its merits in numerous evaluations by the Justice Department and university studies.”
“Six Blocks, 96 Buildings, Zero Shootings: New Recipe at the Queensbridge Houses,” The New York Times
In the 90s, there were several shootings a month at the Queensbrige Houses, a housing project in Brooklyn. Last week, locals there celebrated 365 days without a shooting, thanks to a mix of efforts at reducing violence, including a CURE Violence project.
