PA JUSTICE ALLIANCE

The PA Justice Alliance is a strategic alignment table created to coordinate the work of criminal legal reform organizations composed of formerly incarcerated people, grassroots activists, legal and policy advocates, and legislative organizers.

“If you don’t have a strategy, you’re part of someone else’s.”

OUR VISION

We envision a commonwealth where an aligned criminal justice left commits to engaging in sustained, state-level legislative advocacy to pass meaningful policy reforms that seek to diminish the carceral state in Pennsylvania.

OUR VALUES

We believe in fairness at every stage of the criminal legal system, including policing, pretrial detention, sentencing, incarceration, criminal supervision, and reentry.

We believe that the politics of mass incarceration and “tough on crime” policies have created a carceral state that disproportionately targets and harms our Black, Brown, and working class communities, making our communities less safe, rather than delivering on the promise of increased public safety.

We believe in limiting the reach of the carceral state by reining in draconian laws and opposing the incessant reliance on the warehousing of people to address harm.

We believe that many of those who are swept into the criminal legal system need support and treatment, and that accountability for harm should be restoration, not retribution.

We believe that people impacted by the criminal legal system are human beings and deserve to be treated as such. Policies related to their treatment, whether inside or out of prison, should be aligned with the basic principles of human dignity, mental and physical well being, kindness, and compassion.

We believe that public safety is best secured by investing in people and prevention through well-funded public resources that our communities need to thrive, such as quality education, robust anti-violence programs, and affordable housing, among others.

OUR GOALS

The PA Justice Alliance aims to dismantle the carceral state in Pennsylvania through:

  • COLLECTIVE STRATEGY by:

    Setting collective legislative strategy that reflects an understanding of the political mechanics in Harrisburg and the necessary relationships to push our agendas.

    Identifying strategic gaps in our issue campaigning and base building by analyzing how our opponents are moving against us or isolating us in Harrisburg.

    Sharing landscape analyses, personal relationships, and tips on the tradecraft of lobbying, while building the capacity to coordinate and move together.

  • LONG-TERM INFLUENCE by:

    Aligning organizations, movement lobbyists, and organizers to build long-term influence in Harrisburg.

    Serving as the go-to coalition for legislators to contact when important issues arise.

    Building a coordinated table to serve as a counter-power to political actors who peddle failed tough on crime “solutions.”

  • RESPONSIVE ACTION by:

    Building a nimble movement lobbying infrastructure to respond to political shifts and moments of crisis or opportunity where policy could be advanced if organizers are on the ground.

    Weakening the opportunistic meddling from national groups when a “hot issue” comes up.