Who we are
Amidst the racial justice reckoning in summer 2020, a coalition of public safety advocates and community leaders in Oregon developed a legislative proposal that addresses the racial disparities in the criminal justice system and makes our communities safer and stronger.
Like Oregonians across the state, we were driven by a belief that true reinvestment means developing a new vision of community safety that builds alternatives to the existing corrections system while simultaneously dismantling the current system that over-incarcerates people who are Black, Indigenous, and of color.
We believe in meaningful accountability that gives survivors of harm the opportunities to heal and rebuild their lives. We also believe that people who have caused harm should be responsible for that harm, after which they should have an opportunity to rebuild their lives. We know that most people who have caused harm have also experienced harm themselves, and understanding this intersection of identity is necessary for truly reimagining our public safety systems.
Our Guiding Principles
One.
The people impacted by these policies are centered and lead in our development process.
Two.
We advocate for redemptive and restorative justice processes and know investment in these approaches will eliminate the perpetuation of a correctional control system.
Three.
We prioritize the need for self-determination and repairing harm for victims and survivors through restorative justice, and we also recognize survivor defendants, who have experienced incarceration and seek healing of their own.
Four.
We demand investment in communities for generational wellbeing, including services that are culturally specific, healing-centered, and trauma-informed.
Five.
We prioritize dismantling institutional racism, especially within the criminal justice system. We are transparent about the role of white supremacy in creating and sustaining the injustices we see today. In the short and long term, this means we are advancing policies that eliminate racial disparities.
Six.
We know true justice will be found through shifting investments away from correctional control and towards community care, addressing upstream needs like access to education, economic justice, and healthful neighborhoods all across the state.
The Transforming Justice Coalition is
And its Flip the Script Program
