EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE

Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.

EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. We have launched programs aimed at reducing poverty in America, including an Anti-Hunger Program that has served thousands of families struggling with food insecurity and a health clinic that provides free care to vulnerable people.

We are committed to changing the narrative about race in America. EJI produces groundbreaking reports, an award-winning calendar, and short films that explore our nation’s history of racial injustice. EJI operates the Legacy Sites—the Legacy Museum, National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park—as part of our national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation that shapes many issues today.

EJI provides research and recommendations to assist advocates and policymakers in the critically important work of criminal justice reform. We publish reports, discussion guides, and other educational materials, and our staff conduct educational tours and presentations for thousands of students, teachers, faith leaders, professional associations, community groups, and international visitors every year.