So... this got a lot more attention than I expected, so let me share the framework that I'm working to adopt. (I've found it difficult to change mental models because so much discussion uses other, older frameworks.)

The "Capabilities approach" is not built on a human rights framework, and does not really engage with the question of freedom and choice. Instead, it asks on an individual basis, "Is this individual capable of these particular things?" Justice, in this sense, is for everyone to have a minimum amount of capability.

I have so far found philosophically sturdier than anything else I've seen. Here is a ton of links.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capability_approach

* http://people.wku.edu/jan.garrett/ethics/nussbaum.htm

* http://crookedtimber.org/2011/08/29/martha-nussbaums-creatin...

* http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Capabilities-Human-Developmen...