Let's Work Together on Criminal Justice Reform. Because When Justice is Equal, We #ALLRISE.

If you care about criminal justice reform in Chicago, you can help make a difference.

We need to put justice back into the criminal justice system in this city and our whole country. But that seems nearly impossible sometimes because it’s such a big issue. But at Lawndale Christian Legal Center, we’ve been making equal justice more of a reality for over 10 years. And you can make change happen too. Here are three simple ways you can do that:

Get the facts out there

There’s a lot of misinformation out there. A lot of opinions being shared about what’s going on with criminal justice in this country, without accurate information to back things up. We’ve made this free downloadable cheat sheet to help you whenever you find yourself discussing this with friends and family.

Support criminal justice reform in action

Join our email community today. When you sign up for our email community you can stay informed, get inspired and find out how you can be involved in working for a better, more just Chicago.

Donate to help us support more young people in Lawndale

Right now, we don’t have enough resources to serve everyone who walks through our door. Your donation will help young people grow into the kind of citizens they were meant to be, make the community safer, and allow us to continue to work for real justice for all.

Our model for community-based justice is working.

Rearrests for emerging adults, 24 years and under.
75%
National Average

after 3 years

8%
LCLC Clients

2019

At Lawndale Christian Legal Center, we're showing there's a better way.

We’re a community-led, restorative-justice-focused nonprofit that, for over 10 years, has been offering holistic criminal legal defense to Chicago’s most at-risk young people in North Lawndale, a neighborhood marked by deep economic and racial injustice.

And it’s working. We’ve seen hundreds of lives transformed. And the numbers back it up. For example, in 2019, when the national re-arrest rate was 75%, for our clients it was 8%. Yes, only 8%.

Be a part of our work for criminal justice reform.