Common Justice was founded in 2009 as a project of fellow grantee partner Vera Institute of Justice and became its own organization in 2017. It operates the first alternative-to-incarceration and victim service program in the US that focuses on young people ages 16 to 26, particularly those of color, with violent felony charges in the adult courts and the persons they harmed. It is a nationally respected restorative justice model that proves that those who cause harm and those who are harmed can resolve their differences and address their trauma, thus stopping a cycle of retribution and incarceration. This grant provides general operating support for Common Justice in its mission to shift the narrative about violence, safety, healing and accountability in America.
