Positive Justice Project Guiding Principles, CHLP (2025)

The Positive Justice Project (PJP) is CHLP’s national campaign to end the criminalization of HIV and other stigmatized health conditions. These Guiding Principles describe the Black feminist, harm reductionist, and abolitionist framework that motivates PJP’s decriminalization work. They are intended to guide PJP’s internal decision-making, assist in training and supporting national and local decision-makers and advocates, inform coalition strategy, promote accountability inside and outside of PJP, and publicly communicate PJP’s commitments.

Alongside demanding an end to punitive and coercive strategies for HIV and other stigmatized health conditions, the principles call for an expansion of compassionate public health approaches that respect bodily autonomy and liberate all people. They also outline how PJP supports decriminalization efforts using an intersectional lens to advocate for people most impacted by systemic oppression.

First developed in 2015, the PJP team updated the Guiding Principles to reflect PJP’s evolving philosophy and practice. The update process was supported by the insightful leadership of consultant Shana Turner and in collaboration with the PJP Partners Group. The PJP Team expresses deep gratitude for the people who contributed to these principles.