About Us

The Justice Education Project (JEP) is the first national Gen Z–led youth justice organization. We help the public, media, and policymakers understand how criminal justice systems affect young people, and what reforms improve safety, fairness, and accountability.

Our Commitment to Equity

The Justice Education Project centers the experiences of young people most impacted by incarceration, policing, and surveillance. Our work elevates youth-authored perspectives from Black and Brown communities, women and girls, system-impacted youth, and others historically excluded from criminal justice decision-making.

Equity at JEP is not symbolic. It is reflected in who authors our research, how our programs are structured, and how our work is developed in partnership with universities, legal scholars, and justice institutions. We advance reform through approaches grounded in dignity, access, and accountability, ensuring youth perspectives meaningfully inform public, academic, and policy conversations.

Where We Work

Justice Education Project operates nationally through partnerships with schools, universities, and justice organizations across 44 states. Our work connects local youth experiences to national conversations on criminal justice, ensuring youth perspectives inform public, academic, and institutional dialogue.

Core Focus Areas

Youth Justice Research & Analysis: JEP produces youth-informed research, commentary, and analysis on policing, youth incarceration, and justice policy. This work is developed in collaboration with legal scholars and university partners and is designed to inform media, institutional, and policy conversations.
University & Institutional Partnerships: JEP partners with universities, research centers, and national justice organizations to pilot youth-centered research, publish public-facing analysis, and host scholar-informed briefings and programs that elevate youth perspectives in institutional spaces.
Public Education & Knowledge Translation: JEP translates complex criminal justice issues into accessible, evidence-based insights for public audiences through books, briefings, digital publications, and rapid-response commentary, ensuring youth perspectives shape media and policy narratives.
Youth Leadership in Public & Institutional Forums: JEP supports young people in contributing to public and institutional discussions on justice through co-authored research, moderated convenings, educational briefings, and media engagement with justice stakeholders.