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Common Justice
Common Justice offers an alternative to the traditional court process for youth charged with felonies such as assault, robbery, and burglary. Project staff bring together people immediately affected by a crime to acknowledge the harm done, address the needs of the harmed party, and agree on sanctions other than incarceration to hold the responsible party accountable. The project, which is based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, seeks to repair harm, break cycles of violence, and decrease the system’s heavy reliance on incarceration. It operates with the generous support of the Blue Ridge Foundation, the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Viola W. Bernard Foundation, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, the Stoneleigh Center, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Expert
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Director, Common Justice
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Modeling Participatory Justice
Common Justice uses the principles of participatory justice--often called restorative justice--which has been shown to meet the needs of victims, reduce recidivism, and improve satisfaction with the justice system.
- Creating Accountability: The project gives responsible parties an opportunity to meet face to face with harmed parties, recognize the harm committed, and agree on how it should be addressed. Afterwards, project staff monitor responsible parties as they complete sanctions resulting from the process, which may include financial restitution, community service, and/or educational programming. If the sanction agreement is fulfilled, responsible parties are not sent to jail or prison.
- Repairing Individual Harm: Common Justice offers harmed individuals a process that focuses on their needs and asks them to participate in determining the case outcome. Staff connect harmed parties with services, such as job training, educational courses, and counseling, to address immediate and long-term needs.
- Healing Communities: In cases where incarceration does not serve the public interest, Common Justice provides a safe and effective alternative sanction that seeks to repair rather than sever communal ties in the aftermath of serious crime. By encouraging dialogue and providing needed services, the project aims to address the underlying causes of violence and begin a long-term process of transformation for individuals and communities.
Why We Need This Project
The traditional court process is poorly equipped to address the material, emotional, and social needs associated with some serious crime. It relies heavily on incarceration, which is costly and often perpetuates a cycle of violence and re-offense, and fails to meet the needs of people who have been harmed by criminal acts. Those who are statistically at greatest risk of being harmed by violent crime, young men of color, are particularly unlikely to receive services in the aftermath. Common Justice works closely with this population and offers a new model for responding to harm that is cost-effective, equitable, and addresses the need for healing.
For more information, contact project director Danielle Sered.
