Criminal Justice & Public Accountability

Vision

Our Vision

The ancient call to “seek justice, correct oppression” demands that systems protect the vulnerable and restrain the misuse of power. Rooted in congregations, schools, and neighborhood institutions, leaders act to ensure that public safety and human dignity rise together. That means preventing harm before it escalates, strengthening due process, and securing equal protection under the law.

In Nevada, leaders strengthened anti–sex trafficking laws and expanded access to help for vulnerable children. In Iowa, organizers partnered with schools and police to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline through mediation and restorative practices. In Oklahoma, citizens reduced crushing court fines and fees that trap returning residents in cycles of re-incarceration. In Louisiana, communities mobilized to protect children from being tried as adults. In Texas, neighbors secured gun safety investments and new public safety infrastructure in lower-income neighborhoods.

These efforts reflect a consistent strategy: transform institutions, don’t abandon them.  When laws are fair and enforcement accountable — and when second chances are real — communities are stronger.

To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly requires organized people willing to examine systems, negotiate concrete reforms, and insist that the law serve the common good.

Impact

1. Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline in Iowa

   AMOS partnered with public schools to implement Let’s Talk, an initiative that equips students to resolve disputes constructively and reduces suspensions, expulsions, and arrests. Leaders also worked with Des Moines police to create a mediation program that allows first-time juvenile offenders to avoid a permanent criminal record.

2. Reducing Financial Traps for the Recently Released in Oklahoma

   VOICE-OKC and legal allies organized free Fines and Fees Client Clinics to help low-income residents returning from incarceration petition courts to reassess overwhelming fines and fees, reducing barriers that can lead to re-incarceration.

3. Protecting Children From Adult Trials in Louisiana

   In 2025, Together Louisiana leaders educated and mobilized their neighbors to vote, blocking an effort to allow children as young as 10 to be tried for adult crimes.

4. Responding to Gun Violence & Establishing a Police Substation in San Antonio

   After two mass shootings in only a couple of years, COPS/Metro leveraged $200,000 in 2024 for the distribution of 4,000 free gun lockboxes to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands. The following year, leaders secured the groundbreaking of a new police substation to serve the city’s under-resourced Southeast Side.

5. Preventing Sex Trafficking in Nevada

   Responding to children being preyed upon by pimps in Las Vegas, Nevadans for the Common Good was a driving force behind AB67, groundbreaking anti-sex-trafficking legislation (more here, here, and here). Leaders also worked with public officials to post the national sex trafficking hotline at the airport and regional bus shelters to expand access to help.