Positions on Justice

Expectations of Justice
Because we believe that…

• No one deserves to be measured only by the worst thing she or he has ever done.
• Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and have his or her human rights preserved.
• Justice systems should be restorative rather than retributive.
• There is no way to create a perfectly safe world. Expecting that of our justice systems leads to policies that are counterproductive.
• Detention must be justified by a legitimate public safety concern.
• Those who are incarcerated should have all of the resources they need to turn their lives around.
• No one should be incarcerated for his or her immigration status.
• National and international human rights documents provide a sound basis for ensuring that justice systems meet these goals.
• The politics of fear should not be allowed to influence sentencing practices or parole policies.
• All efforts should be made to depoliticize justice system offices.
• Drug use should be decriminalized and treated as a public health issue.
• All juvenile cases should be handled in the juvenile system that is geared toward rehabilitation and education rather than incarceration.
• We therefore believe that the following practices should define our justice systems with respect to…