Restore Justice

Restore Justice

A group of seasoned advocates, including former Human Rights Watch staff and public defenders, inmate and victim family members, and formerly incarcerated people, created Restore Justice in 2015 because we believe every human being deserves dignity, even those who have committed serious crimes. We work toward a day when the criminal justice system in Illinois treats every case as an opportunity to heal individuals and communities.

Our mission is to advocate for fairness, humanity, and compassion throughout the Illinois criminal justice system, with a primary focus on inmates and families affected by extreme sentences for felony convictions in their youth. We create and support policies that allow those who are rehabilitated to go home, and that ensure both inmate and victim families have opportunities for justice. We engage currently incarcerated individuals and their families, former inmates, victims and their families, and concerned Illinoisans in advocacy and service in the criminal justice system.