Project
Reimagining Justice
Systems of justice and conflict resolution are essential for communities to thrive, but traditional systems of justice aren’t delivering. Can communities reimagine justice outside the court system?
Why Reimagine Justice?
Justice is essential for communities to thrive
At the heart of every community is a system of justice. People need effective ways to protect their communities, resolve conflict, correct offenders, and reintegrate former offenders back into society. Community members must believe their justice systems are impartial, just, and effective. This foundation of community trust is what allows communities to thrive.
The criminal justice system is not delivering.
The results are mediocre
From basic protection to re-entry, the justice system is not delivering. Highly publicized police shootings only added to the public’s discontent over a system already stressed by the war on drugs, mandatory minimums, extreme recidivism rates, and the highest incarceration rates in the world.
Today in the United States, fewer than half of all reported crimes are solved, 94% of cases don’t go to trial, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world and nearly half of offenders reoffend after release.
%
of cases never go to trial
%
of Americans trust the criminal justice system
Americans have lost faith in the justice system.
Most Americans say the justice system is racially, financially biased.
Less than one quarter of Americans express trust in the criminal justice system. Communities are often facing justice systems that are too political, pay for play, treat the minorities and the economically disadvantaged unfairly, and leave someone with a criminal record for the rest of their lives.
Decades of top-down reform efforts have met with little success, and often made the problem worse, as the history of mandatory minimums, three strikes laws, bail reform, and police reform indicates.
Can communities Reimagine Justice outside the court system?
Can changemakers create justice outside the justice system?
Our question is: Can justice be found outside the criminal justice system?
Can communities be protected, conflicts be resolved, and justice delivered, outside of the court system? Are there community solutions to justice that deliver a speedy resolution, fairer outcomes, rehabilitate the offender, and restitute the victim? Can these approaches help make our communities safer, fairer, and more trusting?
These are the questions we will attempt to answer by Reimagining Justice.
Why Reimagine Justice?
Justice is essential for communities to thrive
At the heart of every community is a system of justice. People need effective ways to protect their communities, resolve conflict, correct offenders, and reintegrate former offenders back into society. Community members must believe their justice systems are impartial, just, and effective. This foundation of community trust is what allows communities to thrive.
%
of cases never go to trial
The criminal justice system is not delivering.
The results are mediocre
From basic protection to re-entry, the justice system is not delivering. Highly publicized police shootings only added to the public’s discontent over a system already stressed by the war on drugs, mandatory minimums, extreme recidivism rates, and the highest incarceration rates in the world.
Today in the United States, fewer than half of all reported crimes are solved, 94% of cases don’t go to trial, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world and nearly half of offenders reoffend after release.
%
of Americans trust the criminal justice system
Americans have lost faith in the justice system.
Most Americans say the justice system is racially, financially biased.
Less than one quarter of Americans express trust in the criminal justice system. Communities are often facing justice systems that are too political, pay for play, treat the minorities and the economically disadvantaged unfairly, and leave someone with a criminal record for the rest of their lives.
Decades of top-down reform efforts have met with little success, and often made the problem worse, as the history of mandatory minimums, three strikes laws, bail reform, and police reform indicates.
Can communities Reimagine Justice outside the court system?
Can changemakers create justice outside the justice system?
Our question is: Can justice be found outside the criminal justice system?
Can communities be protected, conflicts be resolved, and justice delivered, outside of the court system? Are there community solutions to justice that deliver a speedy resolution, fairer outcomes, rehabilitate the offender, and restitute the victim? Can these approaches help make our communities safer, fairer, and more trusting?
These are the questions we will attempt to answer by Reimagining Justice.
Research Progress
Research Progress
There are numerous problems that have to be solved to reimagine justice, this is our current progress on each issue. There are three phases, researching community solutions, academic review, and making the research accessible.
Conflict Resolution
Resolving conflicts is at the core of any system of justice. We are researching community solutions to confict resolution outside the court system.
- Researching Community Solutions 30%
Research Progress
Research Progress
There are numerous problems that have to be solved to reimagine justice, this is our current progress on each issue. There are three phases, researching community solutions, academic review, and making the research accessible.
Conflict Resolution
Resolving conflicts is at the core of any system of justice. We are researching community solutions to confict resolution outside the court system.
- Researching Community Solutions 30%
Share your Knowledge
If you’re involved in the critical work of conflict resolution, violence interruption, re-entry, or other justice issues, help us help changemakers understand how to bring justice to their community.
Share your Knowledge
If you’re involved in the critical work of conflict resolution, violence interruption, re-entry, or other justice issues, help us help changemakers understand how to bring justice to their community.