The Restorative Justice Project at Equal Justice USA partners with communities across the nation to address harm through dialogue among those most impacted. We work to shift the paradigm from seeing crime as a violation of the law to understanding crime as harm that requires individual, interpersonal, community, and system-wide support for accountability and healing. Our approach is unique in its explicit goal of engaging communities to achieve healthy outcomes for youth accused of crime, while meeting the self-identified needs of people harmed and reducing recidivism, racial and ethnic disparities, and related social and fiscal costs.
Creating and writing this toolkit was truly a Restorative Justice Project team effort. Each of us has been shaped by our personal identities and professional backgrounds. Because of this, you will notice that the tone and style of writing changes from section to section, and even within sections. We decided to leave these stylistic variations as they are, because we are proud of our team effort on this toolkit and of the gifts that each of us brings to our work.
Our organization, Equal Justice USA, is a national organization that works to transform the justice system by promoting responses to violence that break cycles of trauma. We work at the intersection of criminal justice, public health, and racial justice to elevate healing over retribution, meet the needs of survivors, advance racial equity, and build community safety. This mission requires a strong foundation in principle, and the following core values undergird the work of Equal Justice USA:
- Equity. Power and resources have been unjustly distributed in our society, disproportionately impacting many lives – particularly people of color. We are committed to creating space for the leadership of those most impacted by inequity, and mobilizing resources, power, and love to right these wrongs.
- Healing-centered. Healing is an environment through which any harm, past or present, can be named, witnessed, contained, and redirected towards wisdom, honor, and love. EJUSA puts healing at the center of our work and our vision for justice, creating a community of staff, board members, system actors, healers, and trauma survivors whose response to harm is repair.
- Partnership. Change takes more than the work of any one organization. We are committed to movement-building through deep relationships that emphasize strengthening the capacity and confidence of local change agents. We believe that our impact as a national organization depends on unwavering respect and authentic partnership with leaders on the ground.
- Transcending Divides. Some differences are deemed irreparable and intractable. At EJUSA, we reject that assumption, creating new pathways for dialogue that generate learning, transformation, and action.