Community Event: Steps Towards Justice walk-a-thon

May 21, 2022 9:00AM—May 22, 2022 3:00PM

Location

Jacksonville

Cost FREE!

Event Contact Nidhi Gangan Every | Email

Steps Towards Justice Walk-a-Thon 2022
Advancing Real Change (ARC), Inc. is hosting its 2022 Steps Towards Justice walk-a-thon the weekend of May 21 and 22! ARC, Inc. teams will be holding group activities in Baltimore and Jacksonville that weekend, but no matter where you are, you can participate, too! Gather your friends and family, and head to your favorite hiking, beach, or neighborhood trail. For every half-mile (about 1,000 steps) you walk, you’ll be raising support towards ARC, Inc.’s juvenile justice initiatives. Following the walk-a-thon, we’ll tally up our steps to see how far we’ve collectively walked towards justice.

Planning to walk but haven’t registered yet? Visit our registration page here! Those who are unable to physically participate over this weekend can cheer our walkers on by sharing our event or by making a donation. Visit our Meet our Walkers page for a list of participants to support. If you’ve participated in our walk-a-thon previously, select the 2022 campaign to reflect current giving. Gather a group of 5 or more, and we’ll send everyone in your group ARC, Inc. swag! *Number of attendees must confirm by May 1 so we have time for shipping. Share event day photos with us by tagging us on social media, or by uploading your photos to the Post Walk-a-Thon Google form.

Mitigation Leads to Just Outcomes
The United States is one of a few countries in the world that sentences children to life without the opportunity of release for crimes they’ve been convicted of. These sentences are disproportionately given to children of color. We believe that it is the inherent dehumanization of the criminal legal system, and the devaluing of many lives within our community, that facilitates these outcomes.

At ARC, Inc., we work diligently to provide highly-effective life history investigation for our clients to have access to just outcomes. Our juvenile work anchors the intrinsic human dignity of each client at the center of their defense. Already this year, two of our clients who were children at the time of their sentencing have been given a second chance. One client has returned home after 23 years of incarceration while the other was resentenced to a term of 40 to 60 years, which makes him eligible to return to the community. Though we wish he could come home sooner, he now has a release date, which was something he could not imagine when he was sentenced to life without parole for a crime he committed when he was 14 years old.

How You Can Help
Mitigation investigation is the process of identifying experiences in the life of a client. It allows a more detailed and accurate account of life that can convey their humanity to judges, juries, prosecutors, and parole boards. A client’s life often includes complex traumas, systemic injustices, poverty, abuse, and a multitude of other contributing factors that are often felt through generations. Knowing these details aids decision-makers in seeing a client’s humanity, and guides them to arrive at just outcomes.

Your contribution for every 1,000 Steps Towards Justice we pledge, will help ARC, Inc. to cover operational costs related to juvenile mitigation investigations. Your support also assists with costs related to juvenile mitigation investigations, such as obtaining key school, medical, employment, and other records for clients, or local transportation to visit clients and key witnesses.