Our Purpose

Hear from DJC’s Founder, Amanda Alexander, and other team members on the common goals of DJC and the the Kresge Foundation’s Detroit program and why this collaboration is so important to push Detroit forward.

DJC is founded on the belief that we cannot build cities that work for everyone without remedying the impacts of mass incarceration. This mission requires innovative ways of community lawyering—rooted in defensive and offensive fights for racial justice and economic equity—that build up our poorest residents through direct services and novel approaches to land use, housing, and employment. We use a three-pronged approach—what we call “defense, offense, and dreaming”—to serve individual clients, build power, and catalyze systemic solutions.

What’s Happening at DJC

Triniti Watson: On Resource Mobilization, Becoming, and Commitment to a Just Transition

We exist in times marked by both rapid decay and transformative change. Such dialectic tension...
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Masks Hand embroidered over 30 masks 2020-2021 using sacred Palestinian embroidery, and named each one after a Palestinian village that had beeen ethnically cleansed

Announcing Our 2025-26 Artist in Residence!

This year's selected artist is Jenin Yaseen, whose project proposal "We Stitch What We Are...
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Happy Juneteenth!

Before the Detroit Justice Center became a national leader in the fight to transform the...
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A group photo of DJC staff and interns with Cherise Morris after her reading.

Celebrating the Work of Our 2024-25 Artist in Residence

Couldn't make it to our celebration of our 2024-25 Artist in Residence? Read Cherise Morris'...
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A photo of all of the mental wellness convening participants gathered in chairs, sitting in a circle.

Partner Reflections for Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we wanted to expand upon our reflections of...
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Rubina Mustafa and Jasmine Valentine at a Road to Restoration clinic

“True Democracy is the Power of the People” an interview with Staff Attorney Rubina Mustafa

Our brilliant staff attorney, Rubina Mustafa, sat down with 888 Creative as part of a...
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