Our Story
Transformative Justice Project of Colorado
Founded in 2010 as the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center (CJDC), the organization initially focused on ensuring excellence in juvenile defense through legal representation, training, and policy advocacy.
In 2023, CJDC transformed into the Transformative Justice Project of Colorado (TJP), reflecting a deeper commitment to confronting systemic oppression and moving beyond traditional defense strategies. The name change itself was intentional, shifting away from language like “juvenile” that perpetuates negative stereotypes about young people.
Today, TJP works to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by addressing systemic racism embedded in education, mental health, and the criminal legal system. Our programs provide holistic support to system-impacted youth through legal advocacy, mental health services, court accompaniment, resource navigation, and community-building. We challenge white supremacy, colonialism, and patriarchy while centering the voices and dignity of young people.
TJP endorses candidates for judicial appointment who demonstrate a commitment to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and challenging oppressive systems within the law. Candidates’ values must align with TJP’s vision and mission. If you are interested in receiving TJP’s endorsement, please contact Co-Executive Directors Erin Pier and Barbara Garza.
We are grateful for the continued support of our community and partners. Together, we are building a world where we keep kids in school and out of prison.
How school discipline pushes kids into the legal system
Our Approach
Transformative justice looks beyond punishment to focus on why harm happens, what repair actually requires, and how to keep it from happening again. Instead of asking what rule was broken, it asks who was hurt, what they need, and how to make it right.
In practice, that means:
- Centering the people affected by harm, and the people who caused it, instead of leaving decisions to a system
- Addressing root causes like poverty, trauma, and inequity, not just the incident itself
- Building accountability through relationship and support, not exclusion or incarceration
- Trusting communities, not just courts, to build justice together
At TJP, we help young people navigate the criminal punishment system while addressing the underlying issues that led to their involvement in it. We build long-term relationships with them, and anyone they call family. From court advocacy to constitutional rights education to record expungement, we believe young people deserve a real path forward, not a case number.
This framework draws on decades of organizing by Black feminist, queer, and abolitionist thinkers, including Mariame Kaba, generationFive, and countless others working at the intersection of anti-violence and prison abolition. We’re grateful to build on their work.
Our Core Values
These five values guide every program we run and every decision we make at TJP.
Anti-Racism
Actively confront and dismantle racialized systems of oppression, particularly white supremacy, by questioning and challenging interactions, behaviors, and systems that uphold whiteness. This involves a proactive commitment to addressing and changing harmful policies, practices, and attitudes that perpetuate white supremacy.
Community
Community is about collective strength and interconnectedness, where we rise, fall, and grow together. It involves mutual respect, shared responsibility, and unwavering support for one another –moving away from individualism. Together, we build a community that protects, supports, and empowers us all.
Decolonizing
Decolonialism is a movement focused on dismantling colonial legacies by challenging systemic inequalities, individual thoughts and actions rooted in colonialism, and restoring Indigenous land, knowledge and practices. It seeks to reclaim cultural identity and autonomy while transforming societal structures
Collective Healing
Recognizing and addressing our shared struggles through collective efforts is essential for healing from traumas and injustices. Liberation is interconnected and intertwined with collective healing, requiring a holistic approach (cultural, political, social, and physical) that involves dialogue, shared experiences, and practices to uplift and support one another throughout our journey.
Radical Love
Radical love is a profound and transformative approach to caring for others that goes beyond conventional expressions of affection. It involves offering unconditional support without expecting anything in return and rejecting superficial or performative affection influenced by white supremacy, regardless of others’ circumstances or imperfections. This form of love is characterized by deep compassion, where empathy and understanding are extended to recognize and respond to the struggles of others. It also includes a commitment to justice, the active work to address and dismantle systemic inequalities and injustices.
Thank you to our funders and supporters
Our work is made possible by public agencies, foundations, and community partners who believe in repair over punishment.