The Justice Archives is a living document that traces and connects histories of policing and incarcerating youth in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, and nationally. It also documents the work toward community-centered alternatives to police, criminalization, and mass incarceration. This history should provide context for today’s struggle, and serve as a jumping-off point as we lay the groundwork and build a case for defunding and abolishing the police and prisons. Among the several threads to follow, you can trace a history of police brutality and misconduct within the Chicago Police Department, the exact functions of structural racism, and the immense work of activists, academics, and organizers working towards alternatives and abolition.

View and download The Justice Archives HERE  .. Print and share widely.
Support the hosting, printing, and proliferation of  The Justice Archives by making a donation HERE

Please email justicearchives@freewritechicago.org to contribute to The Justice Archives.

Lead researched and compiled by Mathilda de Dios, with support of Free Write staff, students, alumni, and many community partners and stakeholders. Graphic design by Normal Studios.