Reimagining Justice This Month highlights stories about effective responses to violence – responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism.
In honor of National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims (Sept 25), EJUSA’s staff extend deep-filled gratitude to the hundreds of family members of murder victims we have had the privilege to work with for the last 25+ years. We honor those loved ones you’ve lost and the stories you have shared with us. We carry them with us in our fight towards justice and healing for all. Read some of the stories about our work with families of homicide victims.
“Help The Trace Report on America’s Ignored Population of Gunshot Survivors,”The Trace
As part of its efforts to report on gun violence and its survivors, The Trace has pulled together a survey to try to help determine what services survivors need and which of those services they have trouble accessing. If you are the survivor of gun violence, please take a moment to fill out this survey, or if you know someone who has survived a gunshot wound, please pass this along.
“Denver coalition releases step-by-step guide seeking to end school-to-prison pipeline,” The Colorado Independent
A Denver-based partnership has put together a guide to help school districts across the country move away from the punitive discipline policies that not only disproportionally impact black and Latino youth, but also take a tremendous academic toll. “Punitive discipline,” the guide explains, “is focused on guilt and blame, whereas restorative discipline focuses on problem-solving.”
“No Justice: Missouri stayed the execution of Marcellus Williams, but why was he sentenced to die in the first place?” U.S. News & World Report
EJUSA’s Executive Director Shari Silberstein connects Marcellus Williams’ death penalty case – one fraught with innumerable inconsistencies and lack of evidence – to the much larger pattern of racial bias in our justice system.
“My Brother, the Violent Offender,” Slate
The justice system’s label of “violent felon” can mark a person for life, but there is no single definition for a violent offense: “In Washington, D.C., for example, yelling at a police officer has been charged as a violent offense. Until recently in California, robbing an empty house could be considered a violent act.” Yet in order to significantly curb mass incarceration, we need to address those who have been labeled as violent, as they make up more than half of the state prison population.
“Wilmington: most dangerous place in America for youth,” The News Journal
Children are more likely to be shot in Wilmington, Delaware than any other U.S. city. The News Journal, along with USA Today, examined youth violence in Wilmington over a yearlong investigation. The investigation shows that the city has struggled in attempts to adopt a public health framework to combat the violence, unable to bring together the necessary pieces of money, data, and political will to have an impact.
“The Contradictions of Chicago Police’s Secretive List,” Chicago Magazine
The police department in Chicago uses a computer program to identify which residents are most likely to be involved in violence – both those who will be victims and those who will commit violence – so they can be connected to social services. But those on the list are more likely to be arrested, this Chicago magazine analysis found.
