Leading Oregon’s Reform Movement

Partnership for Safety and Justice is transforming our response to harm and violence with innovative solutions that create safer communities and better outcomes for survivors of crime, people convicted of crime, and the families of both.

We’re leading Oregon’s reform movement in three areas of work:

  • Building power
  • Transforming the system
  • Changing the narrative on what builds true public safety
A large group of PSJ advocates holding signs that say things like "Can you tell which of us was houseless?" and "Can you tell which of us has had a child locked up?"

Building Power

Leadership From Grassroots to Grasstops

The people most impacted by the problems are closest to the solutions. That’s why our work is informed by people with personal experience and expertise: activists who have been victims of violence and/or are justice involved.
A group of PSJ advocates on lobby day

Coalition Building

We’re involved in over a dozen tables where partners and changemakers convene, including with unlikely allies where community safety decisions are made. One of the most inspiring groups we convene is the Transforming Justice Coalition, an alliance of advocates and community leaders that develops and advocates for some of Oregon’s most impactful reforms.
A group of PSJ advocates on lobby day

Movement Building

The Advocacy Institute for Safety and Justice is a leadership program for survivors of violence and people impacted by the criminal justice system. We create opportunities for learning and self-advocacy in collaboration with partner organizations throughout the state. The aim is to develop, support, and empower advocates on their journeys wherever their passion for reform leads them.

Transforming the System

Advancing and Implementing State and Local Reforms

The policies we advance are reforming our punitive system into one that centers accountability, racial equity, and healing. We’re guided by a shrink-and-invest model of reform: The policies we advanced have significantly reduced prison and jail use; at the same time, our work has invested nearly $500 million into services for crime survivors, treatment, and restoration.

But passing policies isn’t enough. We’re equally committed to making sure that the reform laws we support are being implemented. Our team consults with stakeholders, analyzing impact and innovating ways to make improvements as needed.

3 panel members sitting at a table and speaking to a group on lobby day

Changing the Narrative

Stories and Voices Leading the Way

The policies we pass and implement are vital, but “culture eats policy for lunch.” This means we also need to shift how we think and talk about safety, justice, and healing.

That’s why we’re changing the narrative on community safety. We uplift the stories of those most harmed and least helped by the criminal justice system, and we share voices of the reform leaders with decades of experience in the fields. By elevating these perspectives, we reshape our communities’ understanding of trauma, restoration, and accountability.

Perspectives That Inspire

Stories fuel our movement. Here are a handful of leaders’ voices sharing insights that are driving change.

Our Work In Action

Discover more articles, reports, and stories in the Resource Center.

Let’s Socialize