SJC Exchange Library

Originally posted by Aswar Thomas on 11/05/2024

See the accompanying press release. 

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It's Aswad Thomas, Vice President of the Alliance for Safety and Justice. I'm writing to share the Alliance for Safety and Justice's latest survey, Crime Survivors Speak 2024, the largest commissioned survey of violent crime victims in the nation and invite you to an upcoming webinar. 

This survey exposes a massive gap between the billions spent on "tough on crime" policies and the needs and preferences of victims of violent crime. 

In the last decade, the Alliance for Safety and Justice surveyed more than 15,000 victims across the U.S. to learn about their experiences with the justice system and their viewpoints on policy. In our newest study, we surveyed violent crime victims across a wide range of demographic backgrounds and learned: 

• Violent crime victims reject long sentences as the solution to crime 
• Violent crime victims strongly prefer crime prevention investments over more spending on arrests and punishment to improve public safety 
• Violent crime victims prefer discretion and rehabilitation over mandatory sentencing schemes like "truth in sentencing" 
• Major hardships accompany violent injury or loss, yet too few victims get help, contributing to a cycle of trauma that harms families, communities -- and public safety 

These views starkly contrast common assumptions about what victims want and point lawmakers to new approaches. Please share this new research with your networks.

The Alliance for Safety and Justice is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, November 13 at 1:00 pm ET | 12:00 pm CT | 10:00 am PT to discuss the report findings and how you can use them to help influence policy in your state. Register now at https://safeandjust.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JA3BiYSTSiyNcbfZnCwpYQ. 

In Solidarity

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Aswad Thomas, MSW 
Vice President, Alliance for Safety and Justice 
National Director, Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice
https://asj.allianceforsafetyandjustice.org/
https://cssj.org