Maroon Justice

This chapter addresses what might fill openings left in Black communities, in the absence of police. It outlines a model of maroon justice rooted in examples from Montgomery County's Black communities and situated in a broader discussion of restorative and transformative justice principles. Restorative justice encompasses coordinated efforts by groups of people to collectively repair relationships and restore peace following conflict and harm. Interlinked with restorative justice, transformative justice gives name to efforts by people to achieve broader collective liberation alongside restoring individual and community well-being. Examples of maroon justice in this chapter highlight the significant role of the Black church in resolving community disputes and issues, as well as a general practice among Montgomery County's Black community residents of developing their own community-level forms of conflict resolution and definitions of justice.