Utah Justice Coalition

Welcome to the Utah Justice Coalition At the Utah Justice Coalition we understand that it’s important to not only be “tough on crime,” but to be smart on crime. Our organization consists of people who have been actively involved in the political and legal communities in Utah for many years. We plan to use that experience to educate the public on many desperately needed reforms to the criminal justice system within Utah. Many of the issues we hope to advance in this state have been in the works for several years. There are multiple great organizations in this state that work tirelessly for these issues. Our hope is to be an additional voice in that fight, as we exclusively work to promote common sense reforms to our justice system. Some of the reforms we hope to achieve include civil asset forfeiture reform, prosecutorial integrity reforms, the repeal of the death penalty, and the general over criminalization of activities in this state and nationwide. Our battles can’t be won without your assistance. Follow our Facebook as well as this website to stay up to date on our current projects, and to hear about opportunities to get involved. About Us: The Utah Justice Coalition was started because we saw a need for an advocacy group in Utah whose sole purpose was the promotion of much needed criminal justice reform. With a vast array of expertise in areas including public policy, criminal defense, and education, we intend to approach the issues in our criminal justice system from all sides. Our Mission Our core mission is to reduce incarceration and recidivism. We have identified 7 key areas of reform that we focus on moving forward to support our mission: 1. Working to reform mandatory minimum sentences 2. Ending over-criminalization by reevaluating and updating outdated felony and high-level misdemeanor crimes 3. Promoting rehabilitation over incarceration 4. Promoting proper funding of indigent defense 5. Working with counties to create prosecutorial integrity review boards 6. Promoting statewide changes to governmental immunities 7. Creating a project within our own organization to help former inmates reintegrate back into society by: a. Providing services to help update resumes, teach successful interview skills, and finding willing employers b. Creating a network of businesses and employers willing to participate in creating positive changes with our coalition c. Finding mentors for people to keep them accountable and on track Our Vision The criminal justice system in Utah, like much of the nation, has many issues that need to be fixed. Our vision is for Utah to embrace a criminal justice system in the future that truly promotes justice while also protecting the liberties of the citizens of this state.