The Parallel Justice Project was established by the National Center for Victims of Crime to advance a new vision of justice for victims of crime. For every reported crime, our society spends enormous resources on apprehending, prosecuting, punishing, and rehabilitating the offender.

The concept of Parallel Justice elevates the goal of helping victims rebuild their lives to a fundamental component of justice. Parallel Justice requires us to decouple the pursuit of justice for victims from the administration of justice for offenders. Under a system of Parallel Justice the societal message to victims would be, "What happened to you is wrong and we will help you rebuild your life."

Parallel Justice Framework
Parallel Justice requires society not only to hold offenders accountable for the harms they have caused, but also to honor a separate social obligation to repair the harm caused by crime. Learn more about this new vision of justice for crime victims.

Parallel Justice in Practice

The National Center has been working with three communities to test the feasibility of the Parallel Justice concept as a new paradigm for society's response to crime. Learn more about the work of these communities and guidelines for implementing Parallel Justice in your community.

Making the Argument for Parallel Justice in your Community

Parallel Justice requires that we change the way we think and talk about justice for crime victims. Learn more about what you can do to make a convincing case for pursuing Parallel Justice in your community.