Executive Summary

Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI) is a New Orleans-based organization that stands at the forefront of the fight for the liberation, freedom, and autonomy of people targeted and touched by the criminal legal system and mass incarceration. PJI’s approach is multifaceted, including collective action, legislative advocacy, civil and criminal litigation, and reframing narrative discourse. PJI’s clients are currently incarcerated people, and we work very closely with their families. PJI’s work also supports crime survivors, victims’ families, and communities outside of prisons that suffer from the impact of mass incarceration.

PJI is a different kind of civil rights organization; we don’t follow any national agenda or framework. We confront issues and take on cases that, very often, no other organization will venture to challenge. Our work requires deep investments of time, energy, creativity, and collaboration with partner organizations, legal and community stakeholders, and those most directly impacted by the criminal legal system. Our work blurs the traditional lines of litigation and advocacy as we develop and execute novel legal and engagement strategies to attack seemingly intractable problems.

Our proximity to impacted people, their partnership with us, and our systems-level work inform our strategy. PJI doesn’t guess at problems; we learn about them first-hand from incarcerated people, victims, survivors, and impacted family and community members.

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