Abstract
Common Justice, based in Brooklyn, New York, brings together those most immediately affected by a crime—the victim, the perpetrator, and family and community members with a stake in the outcome—for a face-to-face dialogue to determine an appropriate response to the harm caused. After an extensive review, project planners concluded that no nationally viable, victim-centered model addressed the needs arising from serious violence or equitably facilitated the recovery of underserved crime victims, particularly young men of color. Common Justice hopes to contribute a model that will significantly improve the field's capacity to rectify a long-lasting and harmful inequity in the criminal justice system, as well as increase the likelihood that a greater portion of those harmed by crime will be met with a response that advances their sense of justice and feeling of safety in the aftermath of what they endured.
