Chicago Torture Justice Center

What Chicago Torture Justice Center does

Chicago Torture Justice Center (CTJC) is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded through the city's 2015 Reparations Ordinance to deliver trauma-informed clinical and reentry services to survivors of police torture and violence, particularly those affected by Commander Jon Burge's torture ring. Its service portfolio comprises individual and group therapy, holistic reentry support (housing, employment, healthcare, education), strengths-based case management, community navigation, court accompaniment, transportation assistance, and drivers license acquisition. The organization also runs the Survivor Repair Fund, a community-donated mutual aid vehicle disbursing up to $300 every three months to eligible survivors, and operates advocacy and educational programs including the Murder Registry Campaign (launched 2022), the Illinois Murder Registry Impact Report (September 2023), the Reparations Won Curriculum integrated into Chicago Public Schools 8th and 10th grade history classes, and a Speakers Bureau. CTJC frames its model as "politicized healing" — combining clinical services with organizing for systemic change — and is governed and staffed by survivors, family members, and organizers rooted in Chicago's South and West Side communities. Co-Executive Directors Cindy Eigler and Aislinn Pulley lead a team that includes a Director of Peer Reentry, Senior Organizer, Case Manager, and Art Therapist, alongside Community Navigators based out of the headquarters at 6337 S. Woodlawn, Chicago.

CTJC is funded entirely through community donations processed via Action Network, with no disclosed government funding, institutional grants, or earned revenue. In 2023, the organization served 3,306 individuals, delivered 894 individual and 119 group therapy sessions, supported 1,761 people with reentry services, conducted 306 case management sessions, sent 1,685 letters to incarcerated community members, attended 95 court dates, and reached 1,299 students through the Speakers Bureau. Its GTM is community-led: outreach is driven by referrals from partner organizations (Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, TeamWork Englewood, Centers for New Horizon, Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, Southside Heroin Opioid Task Force), Know Your Rights trainings, and word-of-mouth within impacted communities. Distribution is single-channel direct service delivery within Illinois, anchored at the Woodlawn office and through field-based Community Navigators.

Name

Chicago Torture Justice Center

Legal name

Chicago Torture Justice Center

Website

https://chicagotorturejustice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chicago Torture Justice Center is a Chicago nonprofit created through the 2015 Reparations Ordinance that provides trauma-informed therapy, reentry support, case management, mutual aid, and organizing for survivors of police torture and violence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAKANAH

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management)

Business & Public Services/Security & Investigations Services/Corrections, Detention & Prisoner Transport Services

SECONDARYBPAGAEAN

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAKANAG

Correctional Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (In-Custody)

Business & Public Services/Security & Investigations Services/Corrections, Detention & Prisoner Transport Services

Keywords

• Trauma-informed services
• Survivor support programs
• Reentry services
• Community healing
• Restorative justice

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization operates as a nonprofit funded entirely through community donations. The Survivor Repair Fund is specifically 100% supported by community donations, not government entities. Donations are accepted through Action Network fundraising campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Chicago Torture Justice Center provides trauma-informed clinical therapy, reentry support, case management, and community navigation services to survivors of police violence and torture and their families. It also operates emergency financial assistance through the Survivor Repair Fund, runs organizing campaigns (including the Murder Registry Campaign), and delivers educational resources such as the Reparations Won curriculum and free zines.

Product overview

Chicago Torture Justice Center offers a comprehensive suite of trauma-informed services for survivors of police violence, structured around the core framework of 'politicized healing.' The organization operates as a service provider rather than a software product, delivering clinical therapy and counseling alongside practical reentry support including housing, employment, and case management assistance. Key programs include the Survivor Repair Fund for emergency financial assistance, organizing campaigns such as the Murder Registry Campaign to abolish the Illinois Murder Registry, and educational resources including the Teaching Reparations Won curriculum for Chicago Public Schools. The Center also produces zines and graphics on topics including court support, art therapy, and Know Your Rights, accessible as free downloadable resources. The offering functions as an integrated service model rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Murder Registry Campaign: Campaign to abolish the Illinois Murder Registry, launched in 2022
• Survivor Repair Fund
• Reparations Won Curriculum
• Speakers Bureau
• Community Navigators

Products and services

• Therapy & Counseling Services Clinical healing services providing individual and group therapy sessions for survivors of police violence and their families.
• Reentry Support Holistic reentry services supporting survivors as they rebuild their lives after incarceration, including assistance with housing, food, medical insurance, employment, and educational resources.
• Case Management & Community Navigation Strengths-based, person-centered, and trauma-informed case management including assistance with employment, housing, healthcare, emergency financial assistance, crisis care, court accompaniment, transportation, and drivers license acquisition.
• Organizing & Advocacy Campaign-focused organizing work including the Murder Registry Campaign to abolish the Illinois Murder Registry, work to free incarcerated torture survivors, Know Your Rights trainings, and court support programs.
• Survivor Repair Fund Mutual aid fund providing emergency material assistance to survivors of police and carceral violence, offering up to $300 every three months to eligible participants.
• Court Support Network Volunteer network providing court support and accompaniment for individuals navigating the criminal justice system, with plans to launch a community defense hub.
• Illinois Murder Registry Impact Report Research report published in September 2023 documenting the impact of the Illinois Murder Registry on survivors of police torture and communities, exploring racial justice and public safety implications.
• Teaching Reparations Won Curriculum Chicago Public Schools curriculum for 8th and 10th graders on the history of police torture under Jon Burge and the reparations movement, developed in partnership with Chicago Teachers Union and CPS.
• Speakers Bureau Program connecting survivors and family members to speak to students about their experiences regarding incarceration, the reparations campaign, and ongoing work at the Center.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chicago Teachers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015CTJC partners with the Chicago Teachers Union to support educators in bringing the Reparations Won curriculum to classrooms in Chicago Public Schools.
• Chicago Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Through the 2015 Reparations Ordinance, the history of torture committed under Jon Burge and the fight for justice has been incorporated into CPS 8th and 10th grade history curriculum. CTJC coordinates with CPS on curriculum implementation.
• Southside Heroin Opioid TASK FORCEminorOthersReferral partner for connecting participants to additional resources for substance use support.
• TeamWork EnglewoodminorOthersReferral partner organization for connecting participants to community resources.
• Centers for New HorizonminorOthersReferral partner organization for connecting participants to additional support services.
• Chicago Coalition to End HomelessnessminorOthersCTJC refers participants to CCEH resources for housing support and other services.
• Precious Blood Ministry of ReconciliationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the criminal justice reform movement. Joseph Mapp, Director of Reentry at Precious Blood Ministry, serves as a panelist in the Murder Registry Impact Report panel discussing the registry's impact on survivors.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cara Program: Chicago nonprofit providing workforce development and reentry support for people impacted by incarceration and homelessness. Comparable to CTJC for its Chicago-centric reentry services, employer partnerships, and case management infrastructure.
• Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation: Chicago-based reentry and restorative justice organization cited as a CTJC strategic partner and fellow member of the criminal justice reform movement. Direct peer because it provides reentry case management and community accompaniment to populations overlapping CTJC's beneficiaries.
• Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice: Chicago public-interest justice organization that produces research and advocates for system-impacted populations, including impact-report-style work. Comparable to CTJC for combining policy research, advocacy, and direct service in the same Chicago justice-reform ecosystem.
• Lawndale Christian Legal Center: Chicago-based nonprofit providing holistic legal and reentry services for justice-involved individuals on the West Side. Direct peer because it delivers comparable reentry, expungement, and wraparound case management for populations overlapping CTJC's survivor community.
• Safer Foundation: Illinois-wide nonprofit providing employment-focused reentry services for justice-involved individuals. Comparable to CTJC for its scale of reentry programming and shared Illinois service geography for formerly incarcerated populations.
• Community Justice for Youth League (CJYL): Chicago nonprofit providing advocacy, court support, and reentry services for juvenile and system-impacted individuals. Comparable to CTJC in its combination of holistic case management and court accompaniment for justice-involved Chicagoans.
• Cabrini Green Legal Aid: Chicago legal aid provider focused on criminal record remediation, expungement, and reentry support. Comparable to CTJC because it targets justice-involved individuals in the same Chicago community ecosystem with survivor-adjacent legal and reentry services.
• Thresholds: Chicago-based nonprofit providing outpatient mental health, housing, and case management for adults with mental health and substance use needs. Direct peer to CTJC's outpatient trauma-informed therapy and case management model, serving overlapping marginalized populations.

Regional players

• Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness: Chicago advocacy and direct-service coalition focused on homelessness and housing stability. Comparable as a CTJC referral partner for housing wraparound services and as a fellow Chicago-based social-services organization addressing overlapping survivor and reentry needs.

Broad incumbents

• Heartland Alliance: Large Chicago-based human services nonprofit operating across housing, refugee services, health, and justice-involved programs. Broad incumbent because it overlaps CTJC's reentry and trauma-informed service categories but at significantly larger scale and across many other populations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLf9Ba9mrTSl6XtDtU5nWpT-Cde4ONnKGR
• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagotorturejustice
• Xx.com/chitorture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-torture-justice-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Chicago Torture Justice Center