Our legal representation of court-designated victims offers them the opportunity to have their voice heard in the criminal justice system. It provides them protection from harassment under Florida’s Victims’ Bill of Rights and follows their lead when they would rather prioritize healing and prevention over retribution, ultimately redefining safety and justice in our communities. Through this model, we can envision a future where life is genuinely valued—transforming rhetoric into tangible actions that foster real change.

A transformative model for addressing interpersonal harm, with the North Star of lowering reliance on incarceration by addressing the root cause of the harm. By offering mediation and community support, this model shifts the emphasis from punishment to healing, and truly honoring victims’ pain by preventing future harms. By fostering community bonds and addressing socioeconomic disparities, ROOT Legal aims to particularly help interrupt the systemic conditions leading to incarceration.

ROOT Legal will use a comprehensive data-driven approach to track victim satisfaction rates among clients pursuing healing and transformative practices in our program compared with historically low overall victim satisfaction rates with the current criminal justice system. Through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and regular follow-ups with our clients and former defendants, we will assess the experiences of affected individuals and identify where structural investments can be made to prevent rather than simply react to harm. Our monitoring framework will include key performance indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of our mediation and community support initiatives. By fostering ongoing community feedback and ensuring transparency in our reporting, we will continuously refine our approach, aiming to provide options that prioritize healing and address the root causes of harm.