Organizing & Advocacy
We advocate for policy change through our leadership in coalitions and education of communities and policymakers.
The Strongest Movements are Built From the Ground Up
We use organizing & advocacy to support and elevate impacted people and communities who must have stronger voices in decisions.
PJI houses three coalitions:
Louisiana Survivors for Reform
Louisiana Survivors for Reform (LSR) is a coalition of crime survivors, homicide victims’ families, and organizations creating change in the criminal justice system. We are a group with a multitude of identities, and backgrounds united in the conviction that any approach to reform needs to include the voices of crime survivors and others directly impacted by the current system.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition
The East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition (EBRPPRC) advances solutions and works collaboratively with criminal justice coalitions to reduce mass incarceration and to uphold the basic human rights of those incarcerated at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and their families through education, advocacy, transparency and accountability.
LA REPEAL
LA REPEAL works to end the death penalty in Louisiana. The Promise of Justice Initiative strives to achieve non-violent and effective alternatives to Louisiana’s death penalty. Together we work to educate citizens about: Racial and religious discrimination in jury selection; Racial and geographic discrimination in first-degree murder charging decisions; The overwhelmingly high cost of pursuing capital convictions.
PJI also seeks abolition by joining with community and grassroots organizations to advocate for improved protection of public safety, smarter and more effective uses of resources, and restorative justice for families and communities affected by murder. You can become a member in the fight against the death penalty by joining LA Repeal.
Advocacy
We are in the kitchen cabinet of the Louisianans for Prison Alternatives helping to craft and implement their strategy and an essential and active member of other coalitions working on issues related to district attorney accountability, bail reform, the treatment of women in prison, solitary confinement, and juvenile justice.
The Prison System in Louisiana
Louisiana locks up more citizens per capita than any other state. In the 1990s, the privatization of the prison system resulted in incentives to lock up more people for longer periods of time. The same private interests influence state criminal justice policies.
How We Affect Policy
Litigation, community organizing, and policy reform go hand in hand. PJI works closely with grassroots community efforts and policy reform organizations around Louisiana to identify common priorities, develop informed ideas about legislation, and bring these ideas to state lawmakers. Our staff attends hearings, offers testimony, and develops research to drive policy changes. We strongly defend against regressive proposals, which often increase over-incarceration and fail to improve public safety.
COVID Response
PJI was one of the first organizations to call attention to the COVID crisis in Louisiana's prisons and jails. We organized a coordinated response along with other civil rights groups across the state, we filed suit against inhumane conditions of confinement- an action that addressed the transfer of COVID positive incarcerated people to Angola's notorious and previously condemned Camp J. We also provided direct support to hundreds of clients and their families during the pandemic.
Our Coalitions and Partners
Interested in joining us as a partner?
