Equal Justice USA is a New York-based group that advocates for left-of-center criminal justice and policing policies. It has promoted ending the death penalty ¹ and “community-based strategies” to reduce violence. ² It has criticized the justice system as being fueled by “retribution” and that punishments such as incarceration do not adequately address crime. ³ The group claims that communal “restorative practices” and “violence prevention” provide a superior alternative to policing and incarceration. ³

Background

Equal Justice USA is a nonprofit advocacy group founded by Shari Silberstein. It blames current law enforcement practices and excessive criminal punishments  for exacerbating violence. The group has argued that capital punishment is racist ⁴ and works to abolish it. ⁵ It has also claimed that capital punishment is a tool that forms a part of the American justice system’s oppression, a system that has been used “for upholding slavery, segregation, and discrimination.” ⁶

Equal Justice USA has asserted that because trauma contributes to “conditions for violence,” ² America’s current forms of punishment such as incarceration are not effective at addressing crime. ³ The group advocates for “community-based healing” and partners with “community outreach workers” who, the group acknowledges, sometimes have “past histories of violence and incarceration.” ⁷ The group asserts that funding these community solutions should go hand in hand with shifting funding from police departments. ⁸ It has also argued that the American justice system is broken because its practice of punishing criminals does not heal the criminals’ trauma. ³

Activities

Equal Justice USA operates a “Trauma to Trust” program that claims to educate law enforcement officers about issues surrounding race and the trauma that the group argues current policing strategies cause. ⁹ In a training video made for the Newark Police Department, Equal Justice created a presentation that included a slide explaining the “cycle of socioeconomic oppression,” which argued that racism fuels an oppressive cycle that leads to increased violence. ¹⁰

In addition to the group’s attempts to implement left-of-center changes to police departments, Equal Justice’s website praises the book No More Police: A Case for Abolition. ¹²

Equal Justice USA has also launched groups that advocate for its left-of-center justice system policies to right-of-center Americans (Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty) and Evangelical Christians (EJUSA Evangelical Network). ¹³ The manager of EJUSA Evangelical Network, Sam Heath, is an elder at Trinity Presbytery Church of Charlottesville, Virginia who has advocated for left-of-center justice system policies to Christians. ¹⁴ A founding supporter of EJUSA Evangelical Network, Lisa Sharon Harper, leads the left-of-center Freedom Road group, which organizes events for Christians such as the Est. 1619 Pilgrimage. ¹⁵

Leadership

The executive director of Equal Justice USA, Jamila Hodge, headed the Reshaping Prosecution Program at the left-leaning Vera Institute of Justice. The Vera Institute characterizes Reshaping Prosecution as a program for “declining and diverting cases” out of the criminal justice system. ¹⁶ She has characterized the American justice system as “built for a purpose, and that was to oppress and control Black people.” ¹⁷

1. “The Death Penalty in the U.S.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/issues/death-penalty/
2. “Violence Reduction.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/issues/violence-reduction/
3. “What Is Justice?” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/what-is-justice/
4. “Racial Inequity and the Death Penalty.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/resource/racial-inequity-and-the-death-penalty/
5. ^[1] “Hope on the Horizon.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/hope-on-the-horizon/
6. “Racial Equity.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/issues/racial-equity
7. “Violence Intervention Strategies.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/issues/violence-reduction/violence-intervention-strategies/
8. “Our Priorities Must Shift.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/our-priorities-must-shift/
9. “Trauma to Trust.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/issues/trauma-informed-policing/trauma-to-trust
10. “Police/Community Collaborative Training.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0OiU5B6V9o
12. “Imagining the Possibility of Safety.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/imagining-the-possibility-of-safety/[/note The nonprofit claims that the book shows “police contribute to violence more than they do to safety.” ¹¹ “Imagining the Possibility of Safety.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023.  https://ejusa.org/imagining-the-possibility-of-safety/
13. “Accomplishments.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/about-us/accomplishments/
14. “EJUSA Evangelical Network Appoints a New Leader.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/new-evangelical-leader/
15. “Freedom Road Pilgrimages.” Freedom Road. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://freedomroad.us/what-we-do/freedom-road-pilgrimages/
16. “Reshaping Prosecution Initiative.” Vera Institute of Justice. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://www.vera.org/ending-mass-incarceration/criminalization-racial-disparities/prosecution-reform/reshaping-prosecution-initiative
17. “Imagining the Possibility of Safety.” Equal Justice USA. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://ejusa.org/imagining-the-possibility-of-safety/