Promise of Justice Initiative

Promise of Justice Initiative PJI fights for the dignity, freedom, and autonomy of those targeted and touched by the criminal legal system and for an end to mass incarceration.

The Promise of Justice Initiative fights for the dignity, freedom, and autonomy of those targeted and touched by the criminal legal system and for an end to mass incarceration. A New Orleans-based decarceration organization, we at the forefront of the fight for the dignity, freedom, and autonomy of those targeted and touched by the criminal legal system and mass incarceration.

Join us in NYC on Thursday 10/8 for Litigating Slavery in the South: An Evening with Law Firms in Partnership with Front...
09/02/2026

Join us in NYC on Thursday 10/8 for Litigating Slavery in the South: An Evening with Law Firms in Partnership with Frontline Legal Workers.

Southerners have also always been clever fighters, leading movements against systems and policies that seemed inevitable or even unsurmountable, especially when partnered with strong allies and supportive infrastructure.

This night will be about continuing these battles together. We’ll enjoy small bites and drinks as we explore how systemic change is achieved when frontline legal workers partner with law firms, raise important challenges and do the important work grounded in freedom, dignity, autonomy, and joy.

PJI would be glad to share this evening with you. For more info about this event and to purchase tickets, click here: https://promiseofjusticeinitiative-bloom.kindful.com/e/litigating-slavery-in-the-south-an-evening-with-law-firms-in-partnership-with-legal-frontline-workers

Today is the birthday of our former friend and former client Jessie Hoffman. He would've been 48 years old. We honor his...
09/01/2026

Today is the birthday of our former friend and former client Jessie Hoffman. He would've been 48 years old. We honor his memory and are thinking of his family and loved ones on this day.

08/28/2026

Today is Give 8/28 Day! This day of philanthropy promotes charitable giving to Black-led orgs that support and uplift Black communities.

PJI is a BW-led org that's challenging systems that primarily target & exploit Black people. When compared to their white male counterparts, there is a staggering lack of equity and access to larger funding sources for women, especially women of color-led orgs. Please consider giving to PJI today: https://promiseofjustice.org/donate

“It’s obvious that nobody in [the] DOC actually cares about this issue. When I would tell them that I was not supposed t...
08/28/2026

“It’s obvious that nobody in [the] DOC actually cares about this issue. When I would tell them that I was not supposed to be in prison, everybody treated me like I was crazy... Every hour that I was wrongly imprisoned was time that I could have been working and caring for my family" - Lisa Andres⁠
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Today we filed a new lawsuit, along with co-counsel Most & Associates, and Loevy & Loevy, against the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) on behalf of new plaintiffs like Lisa who were imprisoned beyond their lawful incarceration release dates.⁠
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The lawsuit challenges ’s longstanding practice of holding thousands of people captive in prisons and jails long after their legal release periods, sometimes for days, weeks, and even months beyond when they were due home, and alleges that this violation has continued despite a change in leadership at the DPS&C.⁠
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Click here to learn more about this lawsuit: promiseofjustice.org/overdetention

"I’m still feeling energized and deeply moved by our Not in My Name gathering last week. The conversation around "deserv...
08/21/2026

"I’m still feeling energized and deeply moved by our Not in My Name gathering last week. The conversation around "deservingness" challenged everyone in attendance to think critically about who we believe is deserving of life, second chances, healing, and being redeemed. That question is at the heart of Not in My Name as community members from various walks of life come together to imagine responses to harm rooted in humanity, dignity, accountability, and restoration.⁠
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We recognize that the person who caused harm and the person who experienced harm can sometimes share many of the same wounds and unmet needs. That is why we must center the voices of both survivors and their broader communities while also moving beyond narratives that assume punishment is the only solution. Not in My Name reminds us that real safety must make room for healing, restoration, and humanity. That is the movement we are building, and I’m proud to be part of it."⁠
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Last week we hosted our Not In My Name kickoff event in Baton Rouge. We heard from youth, credible messengers, and directly impacted people about how thriving communities can be created throughout Louisiana that prioritize restorative systems rooted in freedom, dignity, autonomy, and joy instead of exploitative state violence that doesn't keep anyone safe.⁠
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Thanks to Liz Vartkessian, ED of our partner org, Advancing Real Change for joining us as well to discuss her new book, "The Deserving" and why true rehabilitation that takes into account the full range of someone's lived experience is important.

Are you receiving our monthly newsletter? For this month's issue, we spoke with our summer interns about the work they d...
08/21/2026

Are you receiving our monthly newsletter? For this month's issue, we spoke with our summer interns about the work they did with PJI over the last three months before their departure. Read their reflections on the following slides and don't miss our September newsletter by using the following link to sign up: promiseofjustice.org/signup

🗣️ COME WORK WITH US!⁠⁠We're hiring at the Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI) and looking to hire a narrative storytell...
08/19/2026

🗣️ COME WORK WITH US!⁠
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We're hiring at the Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI) and looking to hire a narrative storyteller to join our Storytelling Team! In this department, they will ⁠
build stories that fight against the dominant narratives and policies that have led to the acceptance of state violence and the criminalization of people, Black people in particular. The Narrative Storyteller will also translate interviews, complex historical information, public records, and genealogical research into compelling, accessible campaigns to educate the public and shift cultural narratives.⁠
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PJI is a fearless and creative New Orleans based legal and racial justice organization. We stand at the forefront of the fight for the liberation, freedom, and autonomy of those targeted and touched by the criminal legal system and mass incarceration.⁠
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Apply here: https://promiseofjustice.org/jobs

Understanding state violence means recognizing and acknowledging both the actions we can see and the systems that often ...
08/14/2026

Understanding state violence means recognizing and acknowledging both the actions we can see and the systems that often go unnoticed. As displayed by bills passed during the 2026 legislative session that infuse millions into prisons across Louisiana or severely dilute Black voting power, government decisions have a profound impact on our safety, well-being, and access to opportunities.⁠
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By learning about both structural and physical state violence, we can better understand their effects on our communities and work toward meaningful change to address the various harms they cause.

TOMORROW in Baton Rouge, join us for the kickoff of Not In My Name (NIMN), a gathering of survivors and family members o...
08/11/2026

TOMORROW in Baton Rouge, join us for the kickoff of Not In My Name (NIMN), a gathering of survivors and family members of victims of violence who are organizing to transform systems of harm and exploitation into restorative systems rooted in freedom, dignity, autonomy, and joy.⁠
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Louisiana’s carceral state (prosecutors, lawmakers, etc.) regularly exploits the pain of loss & death experienced by community members to justify extreme prison sentences, tough-on-crime policies, and state violence including the death penalty. We are gathering to create a genuine countermovement for a better community.⁠
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In addition, PJI's Josie Alexander will join Elizabeth Vartkessian, ED of Advancing Real Change to discuss state violence, the vicious cycle of harm, and her new book, The Deserving, a hope-filled call for community responsibility and true rehabilitation. Join us in this collective effort to organize Not In My Name!

08/10/2026

Many records and data that accurately speak to the harms and abuses of carceral facilities, are researched and created by third parties compared to the actual jails and prisons themselves. Our Storytelling Team – as well as Professor Andrea Armstrong and her students – has been hard at work for the last several months compiling various records to build a database of everyone who has died at Angola Prison.

As seen on the records above (circled in the bottom right corner), on August 8, 1935 three incarcerated people died of sunstroke with an additional person dying on August 10. West Feliciana, where Angola is located, experienced slightly above average heat in August 1935 (92.6 degrees) but not nearly as high as the all-time record in 2023 of 99 degrees.

Louisiana's heat and humidity will only continue to intensify as a result of greenhouse emissions and climate change, while incarcerated workers are forced to labor under dangerous and dehumanizing conditions in the prison's fields under the supervision of armed guards. Sadly, we've found over a dozen people who died of sunstroke at Angola and those are just the ones who were labeled as such. Our research and commitment to honoring the men and women whose bodies remain trapped behind Angola's walls continues.

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New Orleans, LA

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(504) 529-5955

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