“Peace Learning Center’s work through the Transforming Youth Justice Initiative has made a noticeable difference at Harshman. A 30 percent reduction in conflicts is not just about a big number in a category, their work affected the overall school environment. With fewer violent incidents, the students themselves created stronger support, and more opportunities to respond to conflict in ways that actually help young people move forward.”
– Grover Edwards: Behavioral Specialist, Harshman Middle School
From Punishment to Possibility
Transforming Youth Justice Indy (TYJI) is a Peace Learning Center–led, community initiative working to reduce youth gun violence and justice system involvement in Marion County.
TYJI expands restorative, diversion-centered responses so that young people are met with accountability, healing, and support — not automatic punishment.
We partner across:
- Schools
- Community organizations
- Law enforcement
- Courts
- Diversion providers
Our goal is simple but transformative:
Make restorative practices the default response at every point of contact – from pre-arrest diversion to post-adjudication support.
Our Approach
TYJI strengthens coordination across systems and increases access to community-based diversion and restorative justice programs. We equip justice and education professionals with practical tools to respond to youth behavior in ways that promote:
- Accountability
- Relationship repair
- Trauma-informed care
- Long-term public safety
At the center of this work are relationships with youth, families, and the communities most impacted by the justice system.
Research consistently shows that detention can deepen trauma and increase recidivism, while community-based alternatives lead to stronger long-term outcomes. TYJI advances solutions that preserve young people’s potential while repairing harm.
The Goals:
TYJI works to:
- Increase diversion to community-based programs
- Reduce detention and incarceration for status offenses, probation violations, misdemeanors, and non-violent felonies
- Shift system culture so restorative practices become the norm, not the exception
- Establish Peace Learning Center as a communications hub and data-informed backbone for youth justice in Marion County
Get Involved:
Interested in restorative practices training for your organization?
Want to learn more about TYJI?
Contact us here. (This link is the website contact us page. Is there a way where they would contact me directly via email?)
