Carrying the Torch through Memphis: Just City

By advocating for systemic change and offering direct support through programs like bail assistance, expungement, and court watch, the nonprofit works to limit the devastating impact of incarceration and create new pathways to opportunity. With a mission to build a smaller, fairer, and more humane justice system, Just City is helping transform lives while shaping a more equitable future for our community

We spoke with Just City’s Executive Director Josh Spickler about their mission, legacy, and vision for the future.

Tell us about Just City. Why is the work you do important?

 Just City is a Memphis-based nonprofit working to build a smaller, fairer, and more humane criminal justice system by investing in people directly harmed by it and challenging the structures that perpetuate it. Our mission is to transform local criminal justice policy and practice to ensure it is fair for all people regardless of wealth, race, or ethnicity. Our programs include a community bail fund, expungement (the process of sealing public records of a person's criminal history) support, court watch, and strategic litigation and advocacy that addresses wealth-based detention and the lasting consequences of criminal records. By removing financial barriers to freedom, justice, and opportunity, we limit the devastating impact of incarceration on people and their communities and advance the promise of equal justice for all. 

How did Just City begin? How has it evolved over time? 

Just City began when several of us at the Shelby County Public Defender's Office imagined a community-based nonprofit that could work in tandem with the lawyers and staff in that office but without the limitations of being a government agency. We could raise and spend money in ways a government office can't; we could say things public defenders couldn't say; and we would be free from the political constraints of being appointees of the County Mayor. Most importantly, we could engage on policy and systemic challenges in ways that a law office like the Public Defender's Office could not. With some seed funding, we went to work. Since then, we have adopted a theory of change: provide direct service, often to public defender clients, then leveraging those experiences and the data they generate into advocacy that leads to long term, meaningful change to the criminal legal system. This worked especially well for expungement fees, which were extraordinarily high when we started Just City. We covered fees so people could have their records sealed, while also working to change state law. Today, there is no fee for an expungement in Shelby County. We’ve pursued a similar strategy with pretrial detention, though with less success, and have had to rethink our approach and fight harder to maintain progress.

Do you have any annual events or fundraisers? How can people contribute? 

We are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. In June, we hosted Stand Up with Just City, featuring comedian Roy Wood Jr., Justin J. Pearson, and more at Minglewood Hall. It was our first time producing an event like this, and while it may not become annual, it was a success — and we may bring it back. We will have a few events for public engagement before the end of the year, but we don't have anything else big planned. Look out for our 10-year report, which will highlight our first decade and support our fall and year-end fundraising appeals. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky so you don’t miss updates! 

Tell us about your organization’s dreams and goals for the short-term and long-term. What does success look like?

 Our work requires us to engage with government offices like clerks, judges, the sheriff, and the County Commission. Sometimes we’re helping an individual by paying bail or submitting an expungement application. Beyond submitting paperwork or cash for bail, we don’t control much about the process. Our dream is to have leadership in these offices who are open to collaboration and problem-solving, rather than falling into cycles of criticism and dysfunction. We want to build bridges with current leaders and help inform and prepare future leaders so that our community has a justice system that truly works for them, one that holds people accountable for harm, makes neighborhoods safer, and spends far less of our tax dollars.

Tell us a little about you and your role at Just City.

I helped start Just City ten years ago and became its first executive director, a position I still hold. I was working at the Shelby County Public Defender's Office on the team that conceived and launched Just City. My favorite part of this job is working directly with people impacted by the criminal legal system. That’s what drew me to criminal defense law right out of law school. Whether someone is accused of a crime or is a victim of one (and the difference is sometimes very difficult to discern), they want the same things: to be treated fairly, to get justice, and to regain dignity and meaning in their lives. Conveniently, those are the same things we all want, and the same things that benefit society as a whole. I especially value moments when I get to connect deeply with someone who, on the surface, may appear very different from me, a 50-year old white lawyer, but who, in reality, wants the same future for themselves and their loved ones. If we can bring more empathy and mercy into the public safety and criminal justice space, we will create a safer, more prosperous, and more just city for everyone. Just City is carrying the torch by fighting for fairness, dignity, and opportunity in Memphis’ justice system. We’re grateful to Josh for sharing his time, his perspective, and his ongoing leadership in this important work