DJP’s advocacy is rooted in community-driven organizing. We work alongside individuals and families who have been, or are at-risk of being, impacted by the criminal legal system who are navigating this landscape with the goal to achieve justice.

We provide trauma specific tiered support, resource navigation and services, as well as advocate for systemic reforms that address mass incarceration and promote alternatives to punitive approaches.

It encompasses raising awareness, mobilizing resources, and influencing decision-makers to address the root causes of mass incarceration, such as systemic racism, poverty, and inequality. Advocates work collaboratively with affected communities, policymakers, and stakeholders to push for reforms that prioritize rehabilitation, diversion programs, and alternatives to incarceration.

Support Team Assisted Response (STAR)

Denver Justice Project was one of the original groups advocating for the creation of the Support Team Assisted Response program in Denver, also known as the Denver (STAR) Program. STAR was specifically designed to remove police officers from emergency situations that involved a behavioral or mental health crisis, substance use disorder, or a person experiencing differing levels of homelessness. Because law enforcement officers are not equipped with the training, empathy, patience, or cultural proficiency required to successfully navigate, de-escalate and peacefully resolve these types of situations, they should be replaced by professionals who are specifically trained to assist people in crisis. Given the history of impunity afforded to heavily militarized and oftentimes violent police officers, there is an understandable barrier to building trust amongst vulnerable populations. DJP advocates for a community based, professional and compassionate response to people experiencing crisis and that is why STAR was created.

Denver Task Force for Reimagining Policing and Public Safety

Denver Justice Project works in collaboration with The Denver Task Force to Reimagine Policing and Public Safety and has been an active participant in the task force since their inception. Our organizations are aligned in our missions and values. Like the Denver Justice Project, the Denver Task Force is also a nonprofit organization engaged in public elections and advocacy through a non-partisan and purely educational approach with a heavy focus on policing and public safety in Denver, Aurora, and Commerce City. We collaborate strategically to promote our causes and bring attention to our missions through community events, organizational support and cosponsorship. The Denver Task Force to Reimagine Policing and Public Safety, with the help of over 40 community organizations has developed a list of 112 recommendations to create a comprehensive and sustainable community-based approach to policing and public safety.