Harm Reduction principles and practice seek to reduce violence and harm experienced by individuals and communities by understanding the multiple causes including trauma and systematic oppression. We will introduce a Transformative Justice (TJ) framework, including principles and practices as an effective approach to responding to and seeking justice in individual and community cases of violence or harm in such a way that challenge oppressive systems and do not reinforce state violence and repression. Through this workshop we seek to develop models for harm reduction programs to integrate violence prevention, response and services to address trauma and to train anti-violence organizations in harm reduction practice.

TJ seeks to provide those experiencing violence or abuse with immediate safety and long-term agency, healing and reparations while holding those who are violent or abusive to others accountable within and by the communities in which they live or are part of. This accountability includes stopping immediate abuse, making a commitment to not engage in future abuse, and reparations for past abuse. Such accountability requires community responsibility to support people who are violent in changing their harmful behavior and as well as access to personal healing. Beyond those who experience and perpetrate violence, TJ seeks to build community relationships and standards of behavior that reduce violence and increase collective capacity to organize for greater justice and health.

Purpose
 Introduce and build an understanding of the application of Transformative Justice and Harm Reduction frameworks, principles and practices and their relevance across movements for social justice in the USA
 Explore the intersections between forms of intimate violence, drug related harm, systemic oppression and harm reduction
 Introduce the impact of trauma on individuals, communities and movements and relevant ways to integrate our understanding of trauma into organizing and activism
 Support individual and community resiliency-based work as key to social change
 Deepen relationships across Harm Reduction and Transformative Justice communities

Format:
4 hours

1) What is Harm Reduction- 60 minutes
a) Definitions, Principles and Practices
b) Systems of oppression as type of harm
c) Trauma & Substance Use

2) What is Transformative Justice- 60 minutes
a) Definitions
b)Principles
c)Practice/Model

Break 15 minutes

3) What is harm reduction and transformative justice? 60 minutes
a) How do we incorporate harm reduction into our Transformative Justice
b) How do we incorporate Transformative justice into our harm reduction.

4) Small group work 45 minutes
Case studies: Applying harm reduction to TJ and applying TJ to harm reduction