Today Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) re-introduced the People’s Justice Guarantee Resolution, which presents a comprehensive vision for true justice in the United States and communicates the need for strong federal leadership to achieve this vision.

The People’s Justice Guarantee lays out the framework needed to create fair, equitable, and just immigration and justice systems in America. The Resolution calls for a participatory "people's process" to make effective justice policy informed by those most impacted by the system, prioritizing decarceration and rectifying the bias and harm that keeps our legal system from being truly just.

Vera Institute of Justice President Nicholas Turner issued the following statement in support of the resolution:

"The People’s Justice Guarantee articulates important truths about the state of justice in America—including, critically, how our current criminal legal systems have their roots in slavery and the nation’s history of racial oppression. We share Representative Pressley’s vision of an America where vastly fewer people are in prison, jail, and immigration detention, money does not determine freedom, profit motive does not lead to the exploitation of those behind bars or on community supervision, and the dignity of those in correctional facilities is paramount.

The People’s Justice Guarantee calls for those most directly affected by the criminal legal system to help lead the process of reshaping justice in America. Indeed, their voices must be central to the development of new policies and decisions about how to use the resources that are divested from policing, prosecution, and incarceration. Critically, Congresswoman Pressley’s resolution also recognizes the urgent need to redress the harms and traumas associated with our immigration system.

We look forward to working with Representative Pressley and other members of Congress to bring about the changes laid out in the People’s Justice Guarantee and thank her for her leadership."

About the Vera Institute of Justice:

The Vera Institute of Justice is a justice reform change agent. Vera produces ideas, analysis, and research that inspire change in the systems people rely upon for safety and justice. Vera collaborates with the communities most impacted by these systems and works in close partnership with government and civic leaders to implement change. Across projects, Vera is committed to explicitly and effectively reducing the burdens of the justice system on people of color and frames all work with an understanding of our country’s history of racial oppression. Vera is currently pursuing core priorities of ending the misuse of jails, transforming conditions of confinement, providing legal services for immigrants, and ensuring that justice systems more effectively serve America’s increasingly diverse communities. Vera has offices in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; New Orleans, and Los Angeles.