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Here’s what happens when a school rethinks punishment. Wearing bright yellow Crocs, carrying a backpack and holding a clipboard stacked with papers, Ahmed Musa listens intently to a student. You would be forgiven for thinking Mr. Musa was a student himself; it is ​“staff dress like a student” day during spirit week at Theodore Roosevelt High School, and Mr. Musa looks …

The City That Kicked Cops Out of Schools and Tried Restorative Practices Instead Read More »

By Fania E. Davis, Truthout – There’s a reason why so many activists have insisted that the Derek Chauvin verdict — though it offers a measure of solace for George Floyd’s family — isn’t justice. Our current way of thinking about and doing justice does not and cannot meet the moment. If anything, the Chauvin …

Verdicts Don’t Heal. We Need Imaginative Community-Based, Restorative Justice. Read More »

A federal program created by Congress more than 30 years ago transferred 80,000 rifles, 12,000 bayonets, 4,000 combat knives, nearly 500 ‘bomb detonator robots,’ 50 airplanes, ‘night-vision sniper scopes,’ and more to local police. Most Americans are probably unaware that police departments across the country have access to grenade launchers, drones, armored vehicles, and other …

New Study: Militarizing the Police Doesn’t Reduce Crime Read More »

The Trump administration executed 40-year-old Brandon Bernard on Thursday, his punishment for acting as an accomplice to a crime when he was 18 years old. The government went through with the killing despite high-profile opposition from 5 of 9 surviving jurors who sentenced Bernard to death, the prosecutor who defended his death sentence on appeal, several members of Congress, 23 current and …

Trump administration executed 40-year-old Brandon Bernard Read More »

Los Angeles County is home to the nation’s biggest local jail system. It also has the largest local prosecutorial office and some of the deadliest law enforcement agencies: The Los Angeles Police Department and the county sheriff’s department each kill more people per year than police departments in other major cities with comparable rates of violent …

Police Unions Spent Millions To Beat Back Reform In Los Angeles. They Lost Big Time. Read More »

By Rainier Harris Published Sept. 24, 2020Updated Sept. 25, 2020 Rainier Harris is a senior at Regis High School and a Queens native. Starting senior year in the middle of a pandemic has brought on more challenges than ever: Navigating college applications and maintaining my G.P.A. while dealing with Zoom burnout and no physical connection to my friends. …

How RJ Was Used To Combat the Casual Racism at My Elite High School Read More »

The message was simple: If you run into trouble with the cops, tell them to call us. “We’re from PAD, the Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiative. … We’ll come pick you up so you don’t have to get arrested, OK?” Donia Hanaei repeated the directive dozens of times as she walked around downtown Atlanta one recent afternoon, …

Atlanta Offers Alternative To Calling The Police Read More »

The criminal justice system asks three questions: What law was broken? Who broke it? And what should the punishment be? Upon that edifice — and channeled through old bigotries and fears — we have built the largest system of human incarceration on earth. America accounts for 5 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent …

The Transformative Power of Restorative Justice Read More »

Fran Gilmore of Philadelphia explains how Participatory Defense is helping in the court systems and reducing unneeded prison time. This video was presented at the monthly meeting of Restorative Justice Advocates of Georgia. The group meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month. Currently we are meeting virtual. Look at RJAG.org for details. Join us.

Some prosecutors and policymakers are beginning to work toward a legal system designed to benefit all people. Over the past few years, statistics on how the U.S. justice system is failing its citizens have come fast and hard. With more than 2 million people detained in jails and prisons, we have the highest rate of incarceration in the …

Making Space for Restorative Justice: Read More »