The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustices, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American Society.

Founded in 1989, EJI is a private, nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. They challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.

The Equal Justice Initiative works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. They are committed to changing the narrative about race in the US.

The Equal Justice Initiative produces groundbreaking reports, an award-winning wall calendar, and short films that explore the nation’s history of racial injustice, and they recently launched an ambitious national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, which shapes many issues today.

The Equal Justice Initiative provides research and recommendations to assist advocates and policymakers in the critically important work of criminal justice reform.

They publish reports, discussion guides, and other educational materials, and their staff conduct educational tours and presentations for thousands of students, teachers, faith leaders, professional associations, community groups, and international visitors every year.

The Swarovski Foundation supported the Equal Justice Initiative's core funding.