Crime Survivors for Community Safety

Our goal is simple—to prevent future crime and violence.

CSCS is building a united, progressive movement of crime survivors. We understand firsthand how violence affects people. We know that violence creates many complex questions, and that there are no easy answers. We also know that our experiences as survivors of crime and violence make us some of the most qualified people to address these issues.

Crime victims (and survivors), like those incarcerated, disproportionately come from poor communities and communities of color. All too often in public policy, there is a false distinction between “crime victims” and “offenders.” The fact is that many people are both, and many of our most vulnerable families include both. Yet our criminal justice system continues to rely on a polarizing framework that makes an often simplistic distinction between “crime victims” and “offenders”­a distinction that supports harsh and costly policy choices that do not adequately meet the needs of either. CSCS is calling for a change.