Movement-Based Participatory Inquiry: The Multi-Voiced Story of the Survivors Justice Project

We write as the Survivors Justice Project (SJP), a legal/organizing/social work/research collective born in aftermath of 2019 passage New York State Domestic Violence Act (DVSJA), law that allows judges to re-sentence survivors domestic violence currently prison and grant shorter terms or program alternatives upon their initial sentencing. Our work braids litigation, social research, advocacy, organizing, popular education, professional development for legal communities, support women going through DVSJA process those recently released. are organized theorize co-produce new knowledges about gendered racialized carceral state and, more specifically, serving time access/understand law, submit petitions, hopefully be freed. In this article we review our engaged research action, bridging higher education movements decarceration racial/gender/economic justice, venture into three aspects praxis: epistemic justice internal dynamics; accountabilities deep commitments still incarcerated released, even especially during COVID-19; delicate solidarities, exploring external relations with policy makers, judges, defense attorneys, advocates, prosecutors State, other states, internationally.