Community. Accountability. Justice.
CourtWatch MA shifts the power dynamics in our courts by opening the courtroom to public scrutiny.
CourtWatch MA will document and publicize the decisions judges and prosecutors make every day about members of our communities. We will use what we witness in court to push for changes in the policies and practices that lead to rampant racial disparities, excessive prosecutions, and hyper-incarceration.
We will hold prosecutors and judges accountable.
CourtWatch MA relies on the people power of volunteers across the state who are committed to challenging racism and the punitive culture of our court system. Our project is modeled after our comrades in New York City and Chicago.
From May 2018 – September 2018, our volunteers were watching in at least one court everyday.
162 Court Watchers completed 219 shifts in less than 180 days!
162 Court Watchers completed 219 shifts in less than 180 days!
We would like to invite anyone who did at least 3 CourtWatch shifts to a debrief conversation and celebration on November 18 from 3-6pm at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain (633 Centre St). Food will be served! This is a chance for us to express our gratitude for your hard work, hear feedback from you to improve moving forward, and dig into how we were impacted by what we witnessed.
CourtWatchers collected valuable information about how people are being treated in court – data that would not otherwise be publicly available. In December, we will release a report on the current status of MA courts based on what Court Watchers witnessed. In order to do that, we need to manage the hundreds of pieces of data collected by our courtwatchers. On November 5, 2018, we will be hosting a Data Entry Party at MIT from 5:45-9PM. It's a great way to get involved and we need your help!
Our work isn't done! On January 2, 2019 District Attorneys will begin a new term in office.
We’re launching a First 100 Days Court Watch Project in Suffolk and Plymouth Counties to hold District Attorneys accountable for reducing pre-trial detention and addressing racial disparities.
Volunteers will monitor how well prosecutors are living up to their campaign promises and complying with recently passed criminal justice reform. We're inviting Court Watchers who have been trained to keep watching, and asking new volunteers to step up. The First One Hundred Days Court Watch Project will be focused on prosecutors’ bail recommendations and charging decisions.
We’re launching a First 100 Days Court Watch Project in Suffolk and Plymouth Counties to hold District Attorneys accountable for reducing pre-trial detention and addressing racial disparities.
Volunteers will monitor how well prosecutors are living up to their campaign promises and complying with recently passed criminal justice reform. We're inviting Court Watchers who have been trained to keep watching, and asking new volunteers to step up. The First One Hundred Days Court Watch Project will be focused on prosecutors’ bail recommendations and charging decisions.