PJI informs, inspires, and mobilizes local pretrial changemakers working to end mass incarceration.
PJI is one partner in the pretrial justice movement, which includes organizers, advocates, researchers, public officials, technical assistance providers, and countless others working nationally and locally on an array of reforms, from incremental improvements to radical reimagination.
Our role in this ecosystem is to partner with community and system stakeholders to translate community members’ vision for safety, fairness, and equity into tangible pretrial policies and practices—and help them build the capacity and momentum to implement them.
We do this by listening to (and learning from) the people closest to the problem—and leveraging our nearly 50-year history of working within pretrial processes; our technical knowledge of pretrial law, research and best practices; and our unwavering commitment to racial justice.
How We Do It
Our talented staff collaborates across five strategic portfolios—all focused on closing the front door to mass incarceration.
Change Work
We help build the equitable pretrial processes we want to see in the world—partnering with jurisdictions to design and implement innovative, community-led solutions. Let's work together
Education & Training
From webinars to courses and convenings, we provide learning opportunities that empower people to become change agents within their own pretrial processes. Register for a course.
Research & Resources
We offer thoughtful analysis on current issues in pretrial justice and serve as a central hub for resources to drive action in the field. View our latest publications.
Communications
We maintain a sense of urgency for equitable pretrial reform through conversations and content that increase awareness and inspire action. Visit the blog.
Partnerships & Engagement
We support and amplify the work of allies across the country, including national organizations, state and local coalitions, and groups representing intersectional interests. Partner with us.
PJI's new framework for change is Local Antiracist Pretrial Justice—where community members and public officials partner to implement decarceral solutions rooted in equity, safety and well-being for all.
To foster equity, safety, and well-being in our communities, we need a seismic shift in our nation’s approach to pretrial justice: one that explicitly names and addresses the systemic deprivations that lead to incarceration—and demands relief from racial oppression and correctional control, both in jails and community settings.
Local Antiracist Pretrial Justice (LAPJ) aims to do just that.
LAPJ is a holistic framework that addresses the spectrum of pretrial decision points, starting with a person's contact with law enforcement—or being able to avoid contact—through the disposition of their case. Our vision for LAPJ is a pretrial process that honors the constitutional rights of people facing charges, with the vast majority remaining in the community with access to community-based services and very limited court-imposed restrictions.
By reducing the likelihood that a person comes under correctional control at the “front door” of the system, we decrease the odds of future stays in jail or prison—ultimately freeing up resources that can be invested in our communities.
To that end (or, really, beginning), PJI partners with community and system stakeholders to develop courageous, innovative solutions that are grounded in the wisdom of people with lived experience–including crime survivors—and oriented toward justice for Black, brown and other marginalized communities.
We believe that’s not only the future of pretrial justice—it’s a pathway to our collective freedom.
Call for Pilot Sites
In the upcoming years, PJI aims to demonstrate that equitable pretrial processes are a pathway to end mass incarceration. We’re looking for a few localities that want to help shape and achieve Local Antiracist Pretrial Justice. Interested? Send us a quick note.