a group of five police offices wearing tactical gear and carrying shields walking down Michigan avenue in Chicago

Image credit: Sarah-Ji @loveandstrugglephotos

It’s time to end our reliance on criminalization and retribution in the U.S. We must adopt transformative alternatives rooted in healing and human dignity.

Prisons and policing don’t keep us safe. Even with the world’s highest incarcerations rate, the U.S. faces high rates of gun violence. AFSC advocates for community-based approaches that work better to create accountability, facilitate healing, and prevent harm.

300

Public records requests filed to gather data for “Equipped for War,” a detailed look at militarized policing in California. 

6,000

Letters from people in New York and New Jersey prisons answered by AFSC staff and volunteers in FY22.

Related Programs

Everyone has a role to play in creating safe, healthy communities for all—without relying on prisons or policing. Our programs work in partnership with communities across the U.S.

AFSC Michigan staff and family

Michigan Criminal Justice

AFSC addresses the state violence of the criminal, legal, and imprisonment systems in our communities. We disrupt the paradigm of punishment and build healing, wellness and full liberation for all.

AFSC Freedom School in St. Louis

St. Louis Peacebuilding

AFSC organizes Black youth to develop and advocate for alternatives to policing. Our work involves community organizing, coalition building and research. Our goal is a world in which local high schools and universities center real student safety. 

Twin Cities 2023 Summer Intensive

Twin Cities Healing Justice

The Twin Cities Healing Justice program work to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Our youth group is Students Accelerating Fiercely Everyday. SAFE focuses on the history of race and racism, systemic poverty and community organizing. Youth engage with one another about the issues affecting them.

person standing in gymnasium talking to a group of youth

New York Healing Justice

AFSC’s NY Healing Justice Program supports people to heal and take leadership roles in confronting injustice. We work to improve the lives of the currently and formerly incarcerated.

A group of people stand in a line, several holding a banner that says

Wabanaki

AFSC's Wabanaki Program works to heal the trauma of Wabanaki communities in Maine. We draw communities together to confront injustices and promote healing among Maine's four Wabanaki tribes. 

An organizer addresses a press conference from the steps of San Francisco City hall, concerning police use of killer robots

California Healing Justice

The California Healing Justice Program works to reduce reliance on incarceration and policing and replace them with restorative, healing practices. We concentrate on three areas: ending mass incarceration, demilitarizing police, and the promotion of healing alternatives.

people at an outdoor action holding signs about the child tax credit

West Virginia Economic Justice

The West Virginia Economic Justice Project (WVEJ) works statewide on issues affecting low income and working families. We build effective coalitions in support of economic justice for all people.

March in Chicago for Treatment Not Trauma

Chicago Peacebuilding

Chicago Peacebuilding works to dismantle militarism and state violence. We push for investment in communities of color criminalized by those same systems. AFSC works with coalitions and partners. We amplify the voices of directly-impacted people.

Action Center for Corporate Accountability

Action Center for Corporate Accountability

The Action Center for Corporate Accountability aims to expose, isolate, and reduce corporate complicity in state violence. We especially focus on corporations involved in incarceration and immigrant detention, the Israeli occupation, and the border industries.

AFSC Freedom School in St. Louis

St. Louis Peacebuilding

AFSC organizes Black youth to develop and advocate for alternatives to policing. Our work involves community organizing, coalition building and research. Our goal is a world in which local high schools and universities center real student safety. 

Public Policy and Advocacy

Public Policy and Advocacy

AFSC has more than a century of experience working with communities across the globe. In our policy and advocacy work, we bring these perspectives to the U.S. capital, United Nations, and other policy bodies.

A prominent Palestinian organizer speaks to an audience during a speaking tour

U.S. Palestine Activism Program

For decades, AFSC has worked to realize a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.

A woman in a hijab leads a march holding a banner and a bullhorn microphone

New Hampshire

AFSC’s New Hampshire Program works to nourish a growing movement of people calling for social, racial, and economic justice.

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