Just City

What Just City does

Just City is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) criminal justice reform nonprofit founded in July 2015, operating exclusively in Tennessee's Shelby County. It serves low-income individuals affected by the local criminal legal system through a portfolio of interconnected direct-service and advocacy programs: the Clean Slate Fund (criminal record expungement assistance), the Memphis Community Bail Fund (pretrial release payments up to $4,000 per client, referred exclusively through the Shelby County Public Defender's Office), and Court Watch (volunteer courtroom observation and transparency reporting). Supporting initiatives include a Litigation Program, Legislative Advocacy, an Internship Program, and The Permanent Record podcast (67+ episodes). The organization is not a technology company; its work centers on legal advocacy, policy reform, and community organizing, with no proprietary software, API, or mobile application.

The organization operates as a donation-funded nonprofit rather than a revenue-generating business. It relies on individual gifts, foundation grants, and event fundraising, structured through suggested giving tiers: a "Partner" level ($24/month or $280 one-time, where $24/month funds one person's annual expungement fee), and leadership "Sustainer" and "Defender" levels at $1,000–$50,000+ annually. Services are provided free to beneficiaries. Go-to-market is community-led, executed through a small core staff of five, 250+ trained Court Watch volunteers, 40+ intern alumni, and academic partnerships with Rhodes College, University of Memphis School of Law, and Vanderbilt University Law School.

Demonstrated operational scale over its first decade includes 600+ criminal records cleared, $2 million+ in bail paid for 1,000+ people (91% court-return rate; 60%+ of clients had charges dropped), and legislative wins including the elimination of Tennessee's state expungement fee (2019). The organization incubated and spun off the Nashville Community Bail Fund as an independent nonprofit in 2017, and pursues systemic change through federal litigation, including a July 2024 challenge (with the ACLU of Tennessee) to Tennessee's HB 1719 bail law.

Name

Just City

Legal name

Just City

Website

https://justcity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Just City is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit reforming Shelby County's criminal justice system through free expungement assistance (Clean Slate Fund), a community bail fund, court-watch transparency programs, litigation, and legislative advocacy serving low-income, justice-involved individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Justice Reform Services

NAICS

Parole Offices and Probation Offices (922150), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAFAE

Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

SECONDARYBPAGAFAB

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

Keywords

• Criminal justice reform
• Bail fund services
• Record expungement
• Court monitoring
• Legal advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Just City operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization relying primarily on donations from individuals, foundations, and supporters. Donation tiers include monthly giving programs starting at $24/month, one-time gifts, and major donor sustainer levels ranging from $1,000 to $50,000+ annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Just City is a Memphis-based nonprofit organization that operates direct-service and systemic-reform programs addressing criminal justice inequities. Its primary offerings include the Memphis Community Bail Fund (paying bail up to $4,000 for low-income pretrial detainees), the Clean Slate Fund (expungement eligibility and process assistance), and Court Watch (volunteer court observation). The organization also pursues impact through litigation challenging unconstitutional practices, legislative advocacy at the Tennessee state level, and public education via The Permanent Record podcast.

Product overview

Just City is a Memphis-based nonprofit organization operating a portfolio of interconnected criminal justice reform programs rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Clean Slate Fund for expungement services, the Memphis Community Bail Fund for pretrial release assistance, and the Court Watch transparency program. Supporting initiatives include The Permanent Record podcast for public education, a Litigation Program for legal advocacy, and Legislative Advocacy for policy reform. The organization also runs an Internship Program to develop future advocates. Together, these programs form a holistic approach to transforming local criminal justice policy and practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clean Slate Fund A criminal record expungement assistance program that helps individuals determine eligibility, navigate the complex expungement process, and pay associated fees to clear debilitating criminal records. Targeted at people in Memphis/Shelby County seeking to restore access to employment, housing, voting rights, and other opportunities.
• Memphis Community Bail Fund A revolving fund that pays bail amounts up to $4,000 for people who cannot afford pretrial detention, helping prevent unnecessary imprisonment and limiting disruption to jobs, families, and communities. Clients are referred exclusively through the Office of the Shelby County Public Defender.
• Court Watch A volunteer-based transparency and accountability program where trained community members observe and document Shelby County criminal court proceedings to encourage public accountability in the justice system. Produces periodic Court Watch reports and Bench Notes.
• Litigation Program Legal advocacy through federal lawsuits challenging unconstitutional practices, including challenges to wealth-based detention and implementation of new Tennessee bail laws.
• Legislative Advocacy Policy reform efforts focused on reducing barriers to justice through proposed legislation on expungement, bail reform, and criminal justice system improvements at the Tennessee state level.
• The Permanent Record A podcast featuring conversations about the criminal justice system and reform efforts, available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and Spotify.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ people helped clear criminal records through Clean Slate Fund
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rhodes CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Academic partnership where two classes offer credit for Court Watch participation. Students earn academic credit while observing and documenting courtroom proceedings in Shelby County criminal courts. This partnership builds the next generation of criminal justice advocates while providing ongoing Court Watch capacity.
• University of Memphis School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner25 law students have participated in the Court Watch program, gaining practical experience in criminal justice observation while contributing to organizational monitoring capacity.
• Vanderbilt University Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw students from Vanderbilt have participated in Court Watch program, providing observation coverage and educational opportunities for future criminal justice practitioners.
• Nashville Community Bail FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJust City incubated and launched the Nashville Community Bail Fund in 2016, which has since become a standalone nonprofit organization. Gicola Lane continues as Nashville bail reform advocate and fund manager.
• National Bail Fund NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of a robust national network of community bail funds coordinated through the National Bail Fund Network, led by director Pilar Weiss.
• National Civil Rights MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted Journey to Justice virtual symposium in January 2021 with panel discussions featuring national changemakers in social justice, including keynote by clemency champion Brittany K. Barnett.
• ACLU of TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn July 2024, Just City and ACLU jointly filed federal lawsuit challenging Tennessee's bail law (HB 1719) that prohibits consideration of ability to pay. Filed in U.S. District Court for Western District of Tennessee.
• The Marshall ProjectminorOthersMedia coverage partnership where The Marshall Project followed Janiqua Thompson, a formerly incarcerated woman, as she tried to regain voting rights with help from Just City's executive director Josh Spickler.
• Prison Policy InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided research and commentary on proposed new jail for Shelby County, stating that 'building a newer, bigger jail is rarely the solution that advocates for jail expansion claim.'
• PrismminorOthersPrism's Prison in 12 Landscapes series featured interview with Yonée Gibson, Court Watch Program Manager, discussing goals and impact of the Court Watch Program.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• The Marshall Project: A nonprofit news outlet covering the U.S. criminal justice system that has featured Just City's work and ED. Comparable in its criminal-justice reform narrative-building role, though it operates as journalism rather than direct service.

Direct peers

• The Bail Project: A national community bail fund that posts bail for low-income people across multiple states, mirroring Just City's Memphis Community Bail Fund model but at much larger scale. Directly comparable as a peer in pretrial release nonprofit operations.
• Nashville Community Bail Fund: A bail fund Just City incubated in 2016 and spun off as a standalone nonprofit in 2017. Operates the same core model in a different Tennessee metro and is the most direct organizational peer in terms of operational DNA.
• National Bail Fund Network: A network coordinating community bail funds across the U.S., of which Just City is a member through its Memphis Community Bail Fund. Directly comparable as the connective infrastructure for the same category of work Just City performs.
• Prison Policy Initiative: A research and advocacy organization producing data on incarceration and jail expansion; has publicly collaborated with Just City on Shelby County jail opposition. Comparable as a data-driven advocacy peer in the same policy domain.
• ACLU of Tennessee: Civil liberties organization that co-files federal litigation with Just City (HB 1719 bail challenge). Comparable as a criminal justice policy and litigation actor in the same Tennessee geography.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: A national research and advocacy organization working on bail reform, pretrial justice, and criminal justice policy. Comparable in its reform orientation and data-driven advocacy approach, though operating at a much larger programmatic scale.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: A large, established civil rights organization that combines litigation, policy advocacy, and grantmaking — overlapping materially with Just City's integrated service-plus-litigation-plus-advocacy model, but at far greater scale and geographic breadth.

Emerging players

• Record Clearance Project (Abt Associates / state-level expungement clinics): Various state and university-affiliated expungement clinics offering similar record-clearing services to Just City's Clean Slate Fund. Comparable in the specific expungement service line, though most operate under legal-aid institutional umbrellas rather than as independent reform nonprofits.
• Innocence Project: A nonprofit focused on exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and post-conviction advocacy. Comparable as a criminal justice reform nonprofit using legal action to address systemic injustice, though with a narrower case-type focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/justcity901
• Facebookfacebook.com/justcity901
• Instagraminstagram.com/justcity901
• Xx.com/justcity901
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/justcity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Just City