COMMON MAPS
Map version new-york activity top-down
Main site Contact
Menu
↑ parent activity group ·
research dossier

COMMON JUSTICE INC
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 820993366 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE V26 · Social Science · Medium ($1M-$10M)
revenue
$7.4M
expenses
$8.0M
net assets
$15.4M
employees
50
volunteers
8
program ratio
74%
mission · from form 990

COMMON JUSTICE DEVELOPS AND ADVANCES SOLUTIONS TO VIOLENCE THAT TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF THOSE HARMED AND FOSTER RACIAL EQUITY WITHOUT RELYING ON INCARCERATION.

profile · synthesized from sources

Common Justice develops and advances solutions to violence that transform the lives of those harmed while promoting racial equity without relying on incarceration. Based in Brooklyn, NY, the organization focuses on advocacy, policy reform, and community-based interventions, particularly around victim compensation and restorative justice. It also engages in national movement-building and strategic communications to shift narratives around crime and safety.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $989K
    ADVOCACY - COMMON JUSTICE RAISED AWARENESS ABOUT NEW YORK STATE'S VICTIM COMPENSATION PROGRAM IN ORDER TO ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO ACCESS THAT SURVIVORS FACE. WE EXPANDED AWARENESS THAT SURVIVORS ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO REPORT THEIR HARM TO THE POLICE IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR VICTIM COMPENSATION. WE HAVE ALSO WORKED TO ELIMINATE THE STATE'S CONTRIBUTORY CONDUCT POLICY, WHICH BARS SURVIVORS FROM RECEIVING VICTIM COMPENSATION IF THEY OR THE LOVED ONE THEY LOST TO VIOLENCE ARE DEEMED TO HAVE HAD A HAND IN THEIR OWN HARM. THE ORGANIZING TEAM ALSO WORKED WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY MEDIA OUTLETS REPORT ON CRIME, VIOLENCE AND SAFETY.
  2. #2 $1.06M
    PARTNERSHIPS & TRAINING - COMMON JUSTICE WORKED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT OUR INTERVENTIONS ARE POSSIBLE AND CAN BE SUCCESSFUL, CREATING SPACE FOR OTHERS TO DO SIMILAR WORK ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE HAVE LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR REPLICATION AND EXPANSION BY BUILDING NATIONAL AND LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS, ESPECIALLY IN JURISDICTIONS WHERE VIOLENCE IS A CENTRAL CONCERN. WE ASSESSED POTENTIAL SITES THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS THAT CONSIDERED ALIGNMENT WITH OUR PRINCIPLES AND KEY STRUCTURAL FACTORS. BASED ON THAT ASSESSMENT, WE ENGAGED PARTNERS AT VARYING LEVELS, RANGING FROM FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR MODEL TO BROADER FIELD-BUILDING EFFORTS.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Fair Access to Victim Compensation Campaign
Advocacy initiative to reform New York State’s victim compensation laws by removing requirements to report crimes to police and eliminating the “contributory conduct” policy that bars survivors from receiving compensation based on perceived involvement in their harm.
National Practitioners Lab
Year-long cohort-based program supporting organizations in cities across the U.S. to develop and implement community-based interventions to violence that do not rely on incarceration.
Strategic Communications and Narrative Shift
Initiative to shift public narratives around crime, violence, and safety through media engagement, publications (including the book Until We Reckon), and partnerships with platforms like YouTube’s Social Impact Lab.
United for Healing Equity
National movement-building project providing trauma-informed workshops and trainings for organizations working with young people of color; focuses on healing from community violence and developing the Healing from Community Violence Scale.
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Restorative Justice and Peer Mediation Programs 2 activities
    • Advance non-incarceration-based solutions to violence
      Develop and promote community-based, restorative approaches to violence that center survivor needs and racial equity, transforming narratives and systems around public safety.
    • Deliver restorative justice training programs
      Conduct an 8-month Training of Trainers program and a virtual workshop series to build restorative justice capacity among community violence intervention practitioners in New York City.
  • Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 2 activities
    • Advocate for justice system transformation
      Conduct legislative and public advocacy campaigns at local and national levels to end mass incarceration, center survivor needs, and shift policy frameworks around violence and public safety.
    • Advocate for victim compensation reform
      Lead the Fair Access to Victim Compensation (FAVC) campaign to remove barriers to victim compensation, including eliminating police reporting requirements and contributory conduct policies, culminating in the passage of related legislation in New York State.
  • Documentary Film Production 2 activities
    • Elevate survivor voices through digital platforms
      Partner with YouTube’s Social Impact Lab to produce and amplify content that centers survivor experiences and challenges dominant narratives about violence and safety.
    • Produce and release public education media
      Create and distribute media content, including the video "Ever After," to educate the public about restorative justice and alternatives to incarceration.
  • Justice System Innovation & Inclusion Programs 2 activities
    • Operate alternative-to-incarceration and victim-service program for violent felonies
      Run the first U.S. alternative-to-incarceration and victim-service program focused on serious and violent felonies in adult courts, offering restorative justice circles, monitoring of restorative agreements, and a 12- to 15-month violence intervention program for responsible parties.
    • Support development of diversion programs for serious violence
      Operate a 10-month cohort-based training program for organizations building diversion programs for serious violence and provide long-term, customized training and technical assistance to partner organizations in St. Louis, Jackson, Nashville, and Minneapolis.
  • Neighborhood Civic Engagement 1 activity
    • Build community democratic engagement capacity
      Support impacted individuals in engaging with local democratic institutions—including community boards, school boards, and city council—to influence public safety policy.
  • Trauma-Informed Community Resilience Initiatives 1 activity
    • Deliver Healing Labs programs
      Offer free, accessible Healing Labs programs both virtually and in person to support members of the Common Justice community in processing harm and building resilience.
  • Training and Capacity Building for Trauma-Informed Student Support 1 activity
    • Deliver trauma-informed trainings for youth-serving organizations
      Conduct trauma-informed trainings focused on young people of color, covering psychoeducation and healing in historically marginalized communities across New York City.
  • Uncategorized 4 activities
    • Conduct research on alternatives to incarceration
      Publish reports and curricula such as "Accounting for Violence" and "Building A Narrative to Address Violence in the U.S." to inform public discourse and policy with data-driven, narrative-shifting research.
    • Operate digital Narrative Hub resource center
      Maintain an online platform providing actionable tools and strategies to shift public discourse on violence and safety.
    • Provide public safety narrative shift training with stipend
      Deliver an eight-session, four-month program to equip New Yorkers with tools to shift public narratives on safety and influence policy, including a $400 stipend upon completion of a final project.
    • Provide testimony to advance survivor access to services
      Deliver expert testimony at legislative hearings, such as the Women and Gender Equity Hearing, to advocate for improved access to services for survivors of violence.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$7.41M
Contributions & grants$6.96M94%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$450K6%
Other revenue$-1K
expenses
Total expenses$7.97M
Program expenses74%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$5.43M
Grants paid out$100K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$19.37M
Cash$10.70M
Investments$0
Liabilities$4.01M
Net assets$15.36M
Liquid reserves16.1 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +23.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 8
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DANIELLE SERED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & PRESI 35 $226K
RAYMOND MACCANI JR DIRECTOR OF TRAINING 35 $226K
SHONDA FRANCIS DIRECTOR OF HR 35 $196K
MYLES PAISLEY INTERIM COO 35 $196K
KIRA SHEPHERD VP OF POLICY AND ORGANIZING 35 $196K
STEPHAN M THOMAS DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS & REPLICATION 35 $192K
OLAPEJU O OYEYEMI VP OF PROGRAMS 35 $181K
HYUNHEE SHIN DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT 35 $154K
board members · 8
  • EMMA JORDAN-SIMPSON — TRUSTEE
  • IAN FULLER — BOARD CHAIR
  • JON DUTTON — TREASURER
  • KEMPIS SONGSTER — TRUSTEE
  • LISA DANIELS — BOARD SECRETARY
  • NEAL KWATRA — TREASURER (TERM ENDED 03/14/25)
  • NORRIS HENDERSON — TRUSTEE
  • PAUL BUTLER — TRUSTEE
relationships · 27

Who they work with

  • Auburn Theological Seminary Partner — Collaborates through Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson, President.
  • Boston Review Partner — Collaborated to publish an article on community safety without policing.
  • Bronx Partner — Referral site for cases in the Bronx
  • Brooklyn Partner — Referral site for cases in Brooklyn
  • Communities for Safety Collective Partner — Coalition of members directly impacted by violence who lead civic engagement and advocacy efforts with Common Justice.
  • Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Practices Partner — Collaborates through Lisa D. Daniels, Founder and Director.
  • Freedom Community Center Partner — Core partner in St. Louis, MO receiving long-term support to develop survivor-centered alternatives to incarceration for serious violence.
  • Georgetown University Law Center Partner — Collaborates through Paul Butler, Director and Albert Brick Professor in Law.
  • Instagram Network — Uses Instagram as a platform for public engagement and outreach
  • Manhattan Partner — Referral site for cases in Manhattan
  • NYSCASA Partner — Co-organized a joint advocacy day in Albany with Common Justice.
  • New York City Government — Operates an alternative-to-incarceration and victim-service program in partnership with New York City.
  • People’s Advocacy Institute Partner — Core partner in Jackson, MS receiving long-term support to develop survivor-centered alternatives to incarceration for serious violence.
  • RAPP Partner — Co-organized a joint advocacy day in Albany with Common Justice to advance victim compensation reform.
  • Raphah Institute Partner — Collaborated with Common Justice on violence intervention efforts in Nashville.
  • Raphah Institute Partner — Core partner in Nashville and Memphis, TN receiving long-term support to develop survivor-centered alternatives to incarceration for serious violence.
  • Safe Horizon Partner — Received trauma-informed training from Common Justice’s United for Healing Equity program.
  • Tahirih Anthony Partner — Senior Policy Manager serving as contact for the Communities for Safety Collective program.
  • The Cavalcade Group Partner — Collaborates through Jon Dutton, President and CEO.
  • The Freedom Community Center Partner — Partnered with Common Justice to stand up aligned interventions in St. Louis.
  • The People's Advocacy Institute Partner — Partnered with Common Justice to implement solutions to violence in Jackson, Mississippi.
  • The People's Campaign for Parole Justice Partner — Co-organized a joint advocacy day in Albany with Common Justice.
  • The Redemption Project Partner — Collaborates through Kempis “Ghani” Songster, Co-founder.
  • Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) Partner — Collaborates through Norris Henderson, Founder & Executive Director.
  • WestFuller Advisors Partner — Collaborates through Ian Fuller, Co-Founder & Partner.
  • Women and Gender Equity Hearing Partner — Provided testimony on survivor access to services.
  • YouTube Partner — Partnered through YouTube's Social Impact Lab and production studio to amplify survivor narratives and shift discourse on violence.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Movement Building with Impacted Communities
    methodology: movement_building
    By training and organizing individuals directly impacted by violence and incarceration, we build collective power to transform public safety systems, because leadership from marginalized communities produces more legitimate, effective, and equitable alternatives to mass incarceration.
  • Narrative Change Through Survivor and Civic Leadership
    methodology: narrative_change_through_civic_media
    By shifting public narratives around violence through civic media and survivor-centered storytelling, we enable systemic change toward non-carceral solutions, because dominant punitive narratives must be disrupted to create political and cultural space for alternative justice models.
  • Racially Equitable, Community-Based Public Safety
    methodology: community-based_public_safety
    By developing non-carceral, community-based responses that directly address root causes of violence and center racial equity, we produce safer communities more effectively than prisons, because systemic inequity fuels violence and carceral systems perpetuate harm rather than safety.
  • Restorative Accountability as an Alternative to Punishment
    methodology: restorative_accountability
    By using meaningful accountability processes that repair harm and transform behavior — rather than impose punishment — we reduce violence and increase safety, because moral and practical accountability fosters behavioral change and community trust without relying on incarceration.
  • Survivor-Centered Restorative Justice
    methodology: survivor-centered_restorative_justice
    By centering crime survivors in restorative processes — including their consent, needs, and co-created responses — we produce more just, healing, and effective outcomes, because survivor agency is essential to breaking cycles of violence and building community safety.