The Partnership for Safety and Justice, a criminal justice reform organization in Oregon, just launched a new website, Help.Hope.Heal, for people whose friends or family members have been harmed by crime or violence. The website includes advice and resources to help you learn what to say and do to support your friend and yourself, so that… Continue reading New resource for how to support someone harmed by crime & violence
Tag: Trauma
Trauma-Informed Schools: A Key Strategy for Public Safety
By now, many have heard about the recent incident at Spring Valley High School, where a South Carolina deputy slammed a young African American girl to the ground, dragged her on the floor, and handcuffed her for disobeying school rules. Several videos have gone viral and spurred national dialogue about the “school-to-prison pipeline,” a framework… Continue reading Trauma-Informed Schools: A Key Strategy for Public Safety
Death penalty documentary garners Oscar buzz
Last Day of Freedom is a new, short documentary that follows the story of Bill Babbitt and his younger brother, Manny. It has already sparked conversations around the country, and now the it’s gaining momentum as a contender for an Academy Award. The film centers on the moral challenges Bill faces when he learns Manny… Continue reading Death penalty documentary garners Oscar buzz
Honoring victims, calling for a system that heals
On September 25, in honor of National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, I spent time reaching out to several family members of murder victims. Some survivors shared the traditions they have developed over the years to mark the day, including visiting burial grounds or viewing commemorative videos and photographs. Others told me that the… Continue reading Honoring victims, calling for a system that heals
An interview with the director of EJUSA’s Trauma Advocacy Initiative
Last month, we introduced you to the expansion of our work to build a better justice system, including two new staff. I had the opportunity to sit down with one of them, Fatimah Loren Muhammad, and learn about her first few weeks, what a “trauma-informed” justice system means, and her vision for this first year.… Continue reading An interview with the director of EJUSA’s Trauma Advocacy Initiative
The growing movement for criminal justice reform
Last month, President Obama became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison, touring the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in Oklahoma. During his visit, he acknowledged that if it weren’t for the privilege of his family support, he could have ended up inside prison walls rather than inside the White House. The visit… Continue reading The growing movement for criminal justice reform
Justice, Reimagined
For 25 years, you’ve helped us tackle one of the most serious flaws in the U.S. justice system: the death penalty. We’re not done with that work. But you know what? We’re almost there. Really. So what’s next when we end the death penalty? We believe it’s not enough to just dismantle the parts of… Continue reading Justice, Reimagined
Addressing trauma to reduce mass incarceration
In an early-May issue of The New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin tells the story of one prosecutor’s effortsto combat mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on African Americans. In the story, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm comes to realize that racial disparities exist not only at the incarceration level but also in how the system… Continue reading Addressing trauma to reduce mass incarceration
EJUSA rallies for homicide survivors in Washington, DC
EJUSA executive director Shari Silberstein was in Washington, DC last weekend for the Mothers in Charge Standing For Peace and Justice National Rally. Mothers in Charge, a national organization of mothers and other families who have lost loved ones to homicide, held the rally to draw attention to the trauma and needs of families left… Continue reading EJUSA rallies for homicide survivors in Washington, DC
Warren Hill: An execution that defies belief
Every doctor that ever examined him found Warren Hill to be intellectually disabled. His attorney said he had the “emotional and cognitive functioning of an 11 year old boy.” And on Tuesday, he was executed, despite the protest of the victim’s family and thousands of others. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled it unconstitutional to… Continue reading Warren Hill: An execution that defies belief