Mission Statement

The Chicago Justice Initiative contends that a close examination of the American legal system reveals in our country that lady justice is neither blind nor objective. Specifically, harsh sentencing laws, uninhabitable prisons, inadequate public defense and disparate urban law enforcement construct a penal system that is disproportionately punitive towards America's poor and disadvantaged. The purpose of the Chicago Justice Initiative is twofold: (1) to better educate our members about the legal system generally and particularly its biases towards the poor, and (2) to utilize the knowledge that we obtain to raise awareness on campus regarding the system's inequities. Through our weekly meetings, publications and major events, we hope to make the case among the student body that the current American justice system is far from truly just. In doing so, we plan to build the foundation for increased activism on campus for the cause of true justice.