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Zoom Court Is Changing How Justice Is Served

Eric Scigliano

April 13, 2021 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

When the pandemic shut courthouses, millions of court hearings and even trials moved online to keep the system operating. That shift is becoming permanent, at least for minor, routine proceedings. There are many reasons to be wary of entrusting the entire justice system to "virtual justice." But there are also significant upsides already being realized. In New Jersey and Michigan, far more defendants and jurors complied with summonses. And nationwide, lawyers, jurors, and litigants enjoyed the convenience of not commuting.

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Once jailed, these women now hold courts accountable — with help from students, retirees and Fiona Apple

Katie Mettler

April 09, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Court Watch PG acts as a traditional court watch program for Maryland's Prince George's County, but with a twist: the two formerly incarcerated women running it turned adversity, in the form of the pandemic's shutdown of trials, into opportunity in the form of a nationwide crew of volunteers watching over Zoom. The watchers attend bond hearings, where people jailed on pending charges try to gain pretrial release. After observing thousands of hearings, Court Watch PG has exposed flaws in the system, which it pushes to reform through the more than 100 "accountability letters" it has sent justice officials.

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KC court's pandemic program dismisses 5,000 warrants

Miranda Davis

April 07, 2021 |

The Kansas City Beacon |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

A virtual opportunity to have warrants dismissed and fines reduced resulted in thousands of dismissals for residents of Kansas City. The virtual nature of the program encouraged many people to take advantage of interacting with the court system without the threat of being arrested.

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Juvenile (in)justice

Tennessee Watson Eda Uzunlar

March 20, 2021 |

Reveal |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Mitchell, South Dakota

Five years after South Dakota replaced a failing, punitive juvenile justice system that emphasized incarceration and probation with approaches focused on rehabilitation and local services for youth, the state's investment has paid off in far lower recidivism, incarceration, and expense. Counties have financial, justice, and moral incentives to follow the evidence of what works and help teens improve their lives. The state also keeps the data needed to track what is working. Neighboring Wyoming does the opposite on all counts, and it has the wrecked lives and high costs to show for it.

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The human right that benefits nature

Katarina Zimmer

March 16, 2021 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica

A court in Costa Rica decided that a local municipality was illegally polluting a stream and this ruling set the stage for the country to ensure that a clean and healthy environment is a human right. They ingrained this right in their constitution joining about 110 other countries that have constitutionally recognized it. Although the law is not perfect, it has allowed courts to rule that killing endangered green sea turtles is unconstitutional, for example. Costa Rica’s success with this legal pathway could be used in other countries seeking to adopt the right to a healthy environment.

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Koori hearings

Jenan Taylor

March 01, 2021 |

The Monthly |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia, Melbourne

The Marram-Ngala Ganbu program, also known as Koori Family Hearing Day, provides a child-protection specialist to support Indigenous families before family court hearings, support them in the hearing, connect them to services as needed, and ensure cases are managed in culturally appropriate ways. The hearings incorporate aspects of the family’s culture, such as their totem, and community elders can participate. About 400 families have participated in the program and an independent evaluation found that the Indigenous community believe the program gives them a voice and makes a difference for their children.

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Instead of Eviction, Landlords and Tenants Talk It Out

Emily Nonko

February 19, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia's Eviction Diversion Program has helped keep more than 400 landlord-tenant disputes out of eviction court proceedings, mainly by using volunteer mediators to work out mutually agreeable plans for tenants to get caught up on their rent payments. The program started in 2020 as a way to keep people housed during the pandemic. By giving landlords and tenants a place to talk out their issues without the expense and repercussions of going to court, and by connecting tenants with rent-assistance aid, the program's launch was successful enough to win an extension throughout 2021.

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Youth incarceration fell when California required counties to pay more for juvenile detention: New research

Clark Merrefield

February 02, 2021 |

Journalist's Resource |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

When a California law shifted the costs of incarcerating youth from the state to its counties, judges suddenly sent 40% fewer youth to state-run juvenile facilities. That reduction began a long-term trend that combined with a state commitment to evidence-based approaches to rehabilitation instead of punishment, especially for less-serious offenses. The end result is that state juvenile jails have been all but phased out of existence and California, a longtime tough-on-crime state, now has what one advocacy group considers the nation's most humane juvenile justice system.

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Should Abusers Keep Their Guns? In These 13 States, Judges Choose.

Ann Givens

January 26, 2021 |

The Trace |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

In four of the 13 states where judges have the power to deny domestic-violence abusers access to guns, arbitrarily applied standards lead to a patchwork of enforcement of the laws. A review of cases heard in Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, and South Dakota shows that outcomes depend more on the county in which a case is heard, or a particular judge's beliefs about guns, than on a consistent application of the laws' standards. In some cases, clear allegations of a dire threat did not win approval of a domestic protection order. In others, orders were granted without allegations that guns posed a threat.

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More Dayton residents have conflict during COVID-19. Mediation comes to the rescue.

Cornelius Frolik

January 18, 2021 |

Dayton Daily News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Dayton, Ohio

In Dayton, neighbor disputes and other conflicts ended up in mediation far more often in 2020, thanks to the Dayton Mediation Center's online services at a time when local court operations were limited by the pandemic. A 23% increase in cases can be seen as both bad news and good: more conflicts among people frustrated by social distancing, but more willingness to address conflicts constructively through dialogue mediated by trained volunteers. Dayton police, who are often called to intervene in neighborhood and domestic spats, will be trained to refer cases to the free mediation center in 2021.

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