The Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI) is a New Orleans-based organization that stands at the forefront of the fight for the liberation, freedom, and autonomy of Black people and all those targeted and touched by the criminal legal system and mass incarceration.

PJI moves life-changing work:

Because racism and mass incarceration are entrenched and pervasive foes, PJI’s approach is multifaceted, including collective action, legislative advocacy, civil and criminal litigation, and reframing narrative discourse.

We challenge the notion that prisons keep us safe and that people with convictions should have no rights. We fight for freedom for people sentenced to die in prison. PJI blocks harmful legislation and pushes for dignity-advancing legislation. PJI partners on and co-strategizes social movement work with hundreds of currently incarcerated people. We advance the voices of survivors of violence and challenge the death penalty. Our work builds powerful authentic stories, pushes counter-narratives, and changes discourse.

The world that PJI pushes for is one where the legal system recognizes freedom and dignity as universal rights and embodies an ethos of transformation, restoration, and safety.