Our solution

If you would like to host PFJ Advocates in your office, would like to become an Advocate, or would just like to learn more about PFJ, feel free to email us at galvin@partnersforjustice.org or solow@partnersforjustice.org.

Research indicates that whether a person is growing up in a high-risk, highly-policed neighborhood or returning home from incarceration and trying to reenter her community, the most statistically effective way to prevent that person from ending up behind bars is to ensure she has access to the things she needs the most: housing, work, and community connections.

Nearly all incarcerated people will return home to their communities and over half are gravely at risk of cycling back to prison within a handful of years.  Research shows that offering returning community members a stable landing can significantly reduce their chance of returning to prison, especially when vital factors like work, housing, and support are in place.

Based on what we know about the factors that put people at risk of incarceration, we believe that early interventions are the best way to prevent incarceration before it happens, lower recidivism rates, and increase the chances that a person at risk of incarceration will be given an alternative path.

When people think of “access to justice”, they often imagine a person walking up the courthouse steps or being given an opportunity to speak before a judge. When we talk about access to justice, the meaning goes far beyond the courthouse walls.  

Justice, as we conceive of it, is the opportunity to have a voice within the systems that impact our lives. Whether speaking up for one’s rights as a tenant in housing court or simply filing the right form to get food stamps, all forms of interaction with these vital systems constitute “access to justice.”  

A person is deprived of access when they are rendered voiceless. This can be because they don’t know where to get help, don’t know what rights they have, don’t know how to begin seeking a remedy, or simply don’t know that a given problem can be solved. It may also be due to barriers like language, economic cost, or time required. By helping clients identify these issues and find solutions—whether inside or outside the courthouse—we create access to justice for all members of a community.

At PFJ, our goal is to reach out to those community members most in need. Often, people who manage to make it to the office of a local civil attorney or Legal Aid are more able to seek out help than the people served by the public defenders’ office. By partnering with public defenders, PFJ can reach a clientele who have civil, family, and immigration needs, but don’t know where to get help.

Additionally, people who are involved with the criminal justice system often face “collateral” needs that are rarely addressed through the criminal justice system and which public defenders do not have the mandate or funding to solve. A court case is never simply one case, but can have branching, dangerous consequences in many areas of a person’s life. By working with public defenders, PFJ Advocates can help the defenders take on a holistic practice that recognizes the multifaceted nature of their clients’ needs.

PFJ considers both the community context and the environment of the local public defenders’ office in deciding to partner with a host office. We look for communities in need based on a combination of demographic factors, policing and incarceration trends, existing services, and other data. Public defenders’ offices that host PFJ Advocates must have an interest in holistic practice and the capacity to provide adequate supervision. We seek to place Advocates in communities where they are likely to have the greatest impact, although our aim is to eventually place Advocates in as many US cities as we can. We also receive requests from cities who hope to bring our Advocates into their system and work with us on increasing access to justice.  When PFJ places Advocates in a host office, we consider it a long-term commitment and we will work closely with the host office and community to make it a successful partnership.