News / FJP Releases

April 25, 2025

Fair and Just Prosecution Condemns Unlawful DOJ Grant Cuts for Victim Services

Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP) condemns the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) reckless and unlawful decision to eliminate over 350 DOJ Office of Justice Programs grants providing technical assistance and support to both local law enforcement and victims of crime.  

FJP Executive Director Aramis Ayala Released the Following Statement in Response to the Trump Administration’s Unlawful Cuts to Grant Funding:

“The Trump Administration is severely undermining both public safety and the rule of law with these dangerous, cruel, and completely unlawful cuts to local law enforcement – including local prosecutors – as well as to services that support survivors of crimes like domestic violence or sexual assault. These actions will leave many of the most vulnerable members of our society, especially children, completely cut off from essential resources and support. What’s more, terminating over 350 federal awards in a single day does not reflect the individualized decision-making required by 2 CFR 200.340(a)(4), the law for terminating federal awards. Therefore, the cuts have the appearance targeting specific jurisdictions and organizations for political purposes – a clear indication that the Administration has acted in ways that are both arbitrary and capricious.

April 17, 2025

Fair and Just Prosecution Names Civil Rights Advocate and Former Florida State Attorney Aramis Ayala as New Executive Director

Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP) is proud to announce that Aramis Ayala, a leading civil rights advocate and former elected prosecutor has been named its new Executive Director following a national search process. Ayala brings extensive experience, a deep commitment to equity, and a focus on supporting prosecutors working to build safer communities.

“Now more than ever, prosecutors are on the front lines in the fight for justice, defending constitutional rights, protecting our communities, and standing up to attacks on the rule of law,” said FJP Executive Director Aramis Ayala. “FJP is here to back them up with the resources, access to experts, and technical assistance they need to reduce mass incarceration, protect civil rights, promote racial justice, and fight back against efforts to strip local leaders of their power to create real, community-driven change.”  

April 14, 2025

Fair and Just Prosecution Urges Supreme Court: Don’t Let Technicalities Keep People Behind Bars

Today, Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP) and four other organizations submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Bowe v. United States, urging the Court to ensure that people have a meaningful opportunity to challenge their convictions.

FJP Acting Co-Executive Director Amy Fettig Released the Following Statement on the Case:

“Public safety depends on a justice system people can trust — one that’s grounded in truth, fairness, and accountability. That trust breaks down when courts leave people behind bars for arbitrary and fundamentally unjust reasons. Michael Bowe is currently in prison based on a classification that no longer applies to his convictions, yet the Eleventh Circuit won’t even let him argue for his freedom. A justice system that keeps any person unlawfully in prison due to its refusal to correct past mistakes is a broken system.”

April 7, 2025

FJP Statement on Tomorrow’s Scheduled Execution of Michael Tanzi

Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP) condemns the upcoming execution of Michael Tanzi in Florida, who is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection tomorrow, Tuesday, April 8th at 6 P.M. EST. Florida’s three-drug lethal injection protocol has drawn sharp criticism for using etomidate—an anesthetic linked to involuntary movements and pain—as its first drug, making it the only state to do so and raising Eighth Amendment concerns about cruel and unusual punishment. Mr. Tanzi’s defense team has argued that Florida’s lethal injection protocols do not take into account Mr. Tanzi’s medical conditions—obesity and chronic sciatica—and will cause ‘serious illness and needless suffering.’

Acting Co-Executive Director Amy Fettig issued the following statement ahead of Florida’s planned execution on Tuesday:

“Barring last-minute intervention, the state of Florida will execute Mr. Tanzi with lethal injection tomorrow. State-sanctioned killing in Florida is not justice—it is cruelty cloaked in the language of ‘justice.’ As the only state using the controversial sedative etomidate, Florida is knowingly inflicting inhumane and unconscionable levels of pain and suffering. In the case of Mr. Tanzi, that cruelty is compounded by a glaring disregard for his documented medical conditions and history of childhood trauma. Despite urgent pleas for mercy from Mr. Tanzi’s defense team and moral leaders such as Catholic Bishop Michael Sheedy, the state continues to press forward with his execution. Florida can and must do better. The execution of Mr. Tanzi is not justice—it is a moral failure and a lasting stain on the state of Florida. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of both Michael Tanzi and his victims, Janet Acosta and Caroline Holder.”

March 26, 2025

Fair and Just Prosecution Releases Issue Brief and Model Policy Advocating for the Decriminalization of Consensual Sex Work

Today, Fair and Just Prosecution announced the release of a comprehensive issue brief and model policy designed to help elected prosecutors develop evidenced-based policies for decriminalizing consensual sex work. These new resources highlight the significant public safety and health benefits of decriminalizing sex workers and provide clear recommendations for how prosecutors can consider handling these cases in ways that limit both illegal trafficking and reduce threats against sex workers themselves.

FJP’s issue brief, titled “Decriminalizing Sex Work: Key Principles and Policy Recommendations for Prosecutors,” offers an in-depth analysis of the harms associated with the criminalization of sex work and outlines evidence-based recommendations for change. The brief emphasizes that consensual sex work and sex trafficking are distinct issues that require different legal approaches. Criminalizing consensual sex work, the brief notes, only drives sex workers away from seeking help from law enforcement, exacerbates their vulnerabilities, and undermines trust in our criminal legal system.

FJP’s new model policy is a resource for prosecutors seeking to make a difference on this issue. It offers guidance on creating policies to avoid unnecessary prosecution of consensual sex work while continuing to vigorously pursue cases involving violence, trafficking, and abuse of minors. The policy also provides guidance on expunging charges related to consensual sex work that may prevent vulnerable sex workers from seeking other employment opportunities. By decriminalizing consensual sex work, the policy encourages a focus on “public health and harm reduction rather than punitive measures.”