Everyone is entitled to respect, equality, fairness, and dignity under the law. Yet systems of justice so often discriminate, over-criminalize, and trap the most vulnerable people in destructive cycles of punishment and poverty. The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is an award-winning international nonprofit that works with companies to champion solutions that promote public safety, deliver justice, and strengthen communities.
Our Work.
Reforming
Justice Systems.
We help businesses use their leverage to move critical criminal justice reform initiatives in partnership with local leaders.

Restoring Communities.
We work with businesses to ensure systemic change is translated into real-life impact for justice-involved individuals.

Reframing
Narratives.
We build and entrench the narrative that fair and equal systems of justice are good for business.

News & Updates.
Alabama Political Reporter: Our business-friendly policies, competitive workforce training programs, and vital public-private partnerships continue to fuel our success.
FedCommunities: Debt-related suspensions also keep people out of the workforce. Many jobs require a driverโs license. And driving may be the only way for some to get to work.
Delaware Business Times: Too many talented job seekers remain on the sidelines of our economy โ and often not by choice, but due to gaps in opportunity. Although the U.S. economy generates tens of thousands of new jobs each month, there are simply not enough available workers to fill them.
โThanks to the leadership of the legislature, advocates, and Governor DeWine, House Bill 29 removes these unnecessary barriers to employment and hiring โ a significant win for business and communities,โ said RBIJ CEO Maha Jweied.
As President-elect Donald J. Trump prepares to assume office in the new year, we hope his administration will consider the many opportunities that exist to advance greater fairness and justice across the country in partnership with the business community.
People Management: The stigma surrounding hiring individuals with criminal records often feels insurmountable, but Ken Oliver, a member of the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ), believes the root lies in misunderstanding.
Delaware Business Now: The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) and JPMorgan Chase have launched the Delaware Equitable Hiring Initiative, a multi-year pilot project to help to tap into overlooked talent in underserved communities.
Axios 1 big thing: CEO Maha Jweied discusses how businesses can advance second chance hiring and how RBIJ assists employers in their inclusive hiring journeys.
Ohio Capital Journal: A pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers are trying to make it easier to get non-violent criminal records sealed to help formerly incarcerated Ohioans get hired, but advocates say thatโs not enough.
Daily Herald: Pete Leonard, found of I Have a Bean, commends Illinois for becoming the first state to ban cash bail under the Pretrial Fairness Act and encourages other businesses to advocate for common sense policy reform in their communities.
HR Brew: This often untapped talent pool may offer HR the opportunity to fill open positions with eager and driven young talent.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A labor shortage offers a unique opportunity for employers and the formerly incarcerated.
Colorado Newsline: Professional restrictions prevent nearly 2 million people from entering the workforce.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The bills that pass through our stateโs legislature will have a huge impact on Missourians across the state โ and on my business.
Boston Globe: Massachusetts is lagging and should join other states that have enacted โclean slateโ automated record-sealing laws.
Our Impact.
RBIJ has worked with more than 600 companies to create a justice system that works for everyone and provides people with the fair chances they deserve. RBIJ has supported legislative and executive reform efforts in about half the US states and the UK, across nearly a dozen policy areas. Our inclusive hiring efforts include the award-winning first chance hiring program Unlock Potential and second chance hiring programming now operating in six states.