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'OJI'

Jul 08

Perpetual Optimism is a Force Multiplier

Posted to Community Services News on July 8, 2022 at 3:54 PM by Jessica Harris

Office of Justice Initiatives
Perpetual Optimism is a Force Multiplier.

The word, honor, includes selfless service as a part of its definition. That leads us to these questions: What is honor without service? What is service without optimism? With the celebration of Veterans Day in our rearview mirror, who is better to quote about honor or service than the late Colin Powell? He stated that “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” There is honor in optimism. Imagine a soldier in the landmine-ridden fields of Cambodia not believing in themselves, their purpose or believing they will make it out. Perpetual optimism is constantly believing conditions will improve and that the future must be brighter. 

Documented evidence continues to prove that being optimistic has measurable benefits. Optimists live longer. They have happier lives and handle adversity better. Optimism is not the denial of reality nor is it toxic positivity. Optimism is different from positivity. In reality, optimism is about believing that there’s something better on the other side of the present circumstance or reality. Optimism is about acknowledging light at the end of the tunnel even amidst darkness. 
The staff of the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program has a front-row seat to tragedy and hardship on a daily basis. There is no better way to honor these families than by radiating an extra dose of optimism every day. We have learned that a person could push a nail through a wood plank with her bare hand. But if that same person had a hammer, the task is much easier. Let optimism be your hammer. 

Think the best. Expect the best. Be optimistic.

Tag(s): Optimistic, OJI, November2021, COAP

Jul 08

Welcome Administrator Kelly

Posted to Community Services News on July 8, 2022 at 11:36 AM by Jessica Harris

Office of Justice Initiatives

Welcome Administrator Kelly


In August 2021, Attorney Pamela Williams Kelly was appointed as Administrator for the Office of Justice Initiatives and serves as the Criminal Justice Coordinator. Kelly manages a staff that is responsible for over $5 million in state and federal funds that are allocated for youth diversion, youth mental health, opioid addiction recovery and family resources. In her role as Criminal Justice Coordinator, Kelly works to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the local criminal justice system. 
For over eleven years, Attorney Kelly practiced law locally in General Sessions, Circuit and Chancery Courts. She also represented clients in federal immigration court and immigration detention facilities from Tennessee to Texas. She was a 2020 finalist for the Memphis Bar Journal’s Best of the Bar Award, received the 2013 Celebrate Pro Bono Award from the Memphis Bar Association, and the 2021 Empowerment of Women and Girls Award from the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women.
Attorney Kelly, a native of Mississippi, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Mississippi State University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at The University of Memphis.

Pamela Williams Kelly, Esq. Administrator, Office of Justice Initiatives and Criminal Justice Coordinator 

Tag(s): OJI, December2021

Jul 08

No Justice, No Peace

Posted to Community Services News on July 8, 2022 at 11:29 AM by Jessica Harris

Office of Justice Initiatives 

No Justice, No Peace

“No Justice, No Peace!” We have heard those words throughout history. Those words are the rallying cry for all of us when the definition of justice itself—righteousness, equitableness or even moral rightness—seems to be an illusion. But the Office of Justice Initiatives (OJI) was developed to actively remind each of us that justice is not a foreign concept, nor is justice only for those in the criminal justice system. Instead, the Community Intervention branch of the OJI was created to redirect hearts, minds and actions. And we do this with five distinct programs: Comprehensive Opioid Addiction Program (treatment for opioid addiction), JAG Grants (federal funds to support justice measures at the local government level), Juvenile Evening Reporting Centers (alternative to youth detention), Shelby County Connects (youth mental health) and the Youth & Family Resource Center (youth diversion program and family resources). OJI staff understands that their work is not just about balancing budgets or attending meetings. Their work is greater than that. It is restoring faith in the pursuit of justice because justice is not lost. Their work is to remind our citizens that peace is closer than they think. It is just beyond the horizon within OJI Community Intervention programming.
Stephanie WilliamsNichole Scarborough Melody Freeman


Tag(s): OJI, Justice, December2021