Reimagining Justice This Month highlights stories about effective responses to violence – responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism.
Seeking Dignity-Based Justice, Institute for Family Studies
So much of the violence in our society has its root in childhood trauma, and too often our responses to that violence only perpetuate the same cycles. The people incarcerated by our justice system have complex family lives that include histories and layers of trauma, from addiction to poverty to incredible resilience and resourcefulness. Justice reform that can break cycles of trauma stems from awareness of these complexities and requires commitment to restoring the dignity of everyone impacted by violence, including those who commit harmful acts and those who are harmed.
Building a New Reality…in Detroit? Building a New Reality
For more than a decade, Detroit communities have been implementing restorative practices that have impacted thousands of lives. From workplaces to schools, and from addressing racism to building bridges between communities of color and police, these initiatives have grown and been sustained by the efforts of people outside of government institutions and resources. Despite challenges to financial sustainability, what is happening in Detroit is a bold experiment that is both durable and authentic, and it shows what is possible when people come together to reimagine justice systems that can create safety and accountability for all.
Healing the Scars Left by the Invisible Shackles of Wrongful Conviction, Beacon Broadside
Our fixation on retribution – including over-reliance on mass incarceration – has destroyed lives and entire communities. Exoneration alone doesn’t heal the trauma of wrongful conviction and incarceration, and too often it deepens the trauma of victims, survivors, and family members. Restorative justice can build connections and healing for everyone impacted by wrongful conviction, and sharing stories of the tens of thousands of innocent people devastated by the justice system can help lead to change.
What Happens When Sexual Assault Survivors Sit Down With the Men Who Attacked Them? Glamour
The trauma of sexual assault is real, lasting, and deep. Yet for many survivors, the retributive justice system only risks furthering that trauma. Restorative justice processes are necessary and vital alternatives, because they allow survivors voices and needs to drive innovative solutions that lead to accountability and healing. Bearing witness to the honesty, humanity, and vulnerability of a process reveals the possibilities and challenges of justice reimagined.
Dream, Organize, and Act for Stronger, Safer Communities, Medium: Justice In California
Communities that are devastated by mass incarceration often face interlinked challenges of poverty, violence, segregation, lack of jobs, and over-policing, all of which perpetuate community-wide trauma. Trauma-informed justice therefore needs to engage people across a range of systems to develop innovative approaches that can prevent violence and address structural racism. Restore Oakland is creating space for healing, jobs, and advocacy under one roof, leading to real impact on individuals and throughout the city.
A Fate Worse than Slavery, Unearthed in Sugar Land, The New York Times
Acknowledging the history and legacy of slavery at the roots of our justice system is an essential part of developing new approaches that can create accountability, safety, and healing. In the Houston suburb of Sugarland, the historical trauma of slavery and its brutal aftermath of “convict leasing” drove economic growth and wealth for a few, and continues to have impact on individual lives and entire communities. Commemorating the stories of those forced to labor under unbearable conditions and buried in mass graves pushes us to pay attention to the ways that economic development is discussed today, and to reimagine justice that addresses structural racism today and in the future.
