We believe that extreme sentences for children—including life without parole—fail survivors and further harm our communities. Our vision is to bolster justice models that address the root causes of violence, promote the health of our young people, and center accountability and healing as a vital ingredient to public safety.
Survivors have long been a part of this work and our community. In response to their needs, SJI provides a space for survivors of youth harm who are dissatisfied with the current adversarial processes to connect, heal, and inform CFSY’s work. SJI aims to see transformative, healing, and restorative approaches become available across the nation to those on all sides of harm, including in cases of serious harm involving youth.
Individuals who have lost a loved one to violence or experienced serious physical harm involving a young person, and who support transformative healing and restorative justice in response to those harms.
Note: We recognize that many of us exist at the intersection of both having experienced harm and, at times, having caused harm as youth. We welcome SJI participants at this intersection.
If you are interested in learning more or joining the Survivors’ Justice Initiative, please fill out this form.
Community & Connection: Virtual and in-person gatherings with SJI, the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN), and the National Family Network (NFN).
Peer Support: Circle processes and community care experiences.
Training & Advocacy: Experience in media, storytelling, and legislative efforts.
Internal Influence: Space to inform and shape CFSY’s efforts.
These are the stories of those impacted by youth violence and the extreme sentencing of youth who have found healing through restorative justice. Survivors. Families. Communities. Condemned children.
Their testimonies can serve as a beacon of hope for understanding ways to address harm that recognize the potential and promise that exists in every child. Read these Restorative Stories.
Not a Monolith: Perspectives from Survivors of Youth Violence highlights the experiences and perspectives of survivors of youth violence and people who have lost loved ones to youth violence. This report aims to reflect the voices and lived experiences of many survivors in our NFN and ICAN communities, while honoring the broader diversity of perspectives survivors hold about justice, safety, and healing.
Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (EIN 27-3761788) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
