Law, Justice Links

100 CRITICAL QUESTIONS FOR GUN VIOLENCE RESEARCH - 2021
https://www.joycefdn.org/research-reports/insights-research-reports-100-critical-questions-for-gun-violence-research
From the Joyce Foundation website: "The 2021 report, “The Next 100 Questions: A Research Agenda for Ending Gun Violence,” outlines key areas of focus for public and private sector efforts to build the science of gun violence prevention with actionable findings for policy makers and practitioners over the next five years. The report was written in collaboration with an advisory panel of scientific experts and includes input from dozens of researchers in the field."

A DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW TO REFORM POLICING - NY TIMES - 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/13/magazine/police-reform.html
This link points to an in-depth 6-14-2020 article in the New York Times Magazine about why and how to reform policing in the US.  

A DISCUSSION OF CORRUPTION - POVERTY TO POWER BLOG
https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/how-to-talk-about-corruption-when-its-everywhere-but-invisible/
This blog article and the comments section is a rich resource for research on corruption in many countries.

ADVANCEMENT PROJECT
https://advancementproject.org/
From the web site: "Advancement Project is a next generation, multi-racial civil rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice, we exist to fulfill America's promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy. We use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change."

ANTI-RECIDIVISM (ARC) - WORKS TO HELP WITH RE-ENTRY AND REFORM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
https://antirecidivism.org/about-us/
From the web site: "ARC began as an annual camping trip bringing together a few dozen formerly incarcerated young people with positive mentors to offer encouragement, guidance, and resources. Today, the Coalition has grown into a support and advocacy network of more than 300 members, and hundreds of volunteer mentors and allies, committed to helping one another through reentry, and advocating for a fairer criminal justice system."

AS MANY AMERICANS HAVE CRIMINAL RECORDS AS COLLEGE DIPLOMAS
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/just-facts-many-americans-have-criminal-records-college-diplomas
This is 2015 article that continues to have relevance in 2020s. It states, “With as many criminal convictions as college degrees, it's more evident than ever why “ban the box” laws are important for the economy.

CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND GLOBAL JUSTICE | NYU SCHOOL OF LAW
https://chrgj.org/projects-initiatives/
From the web site: "The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice was established in 2002 to bring together and expand the rich array of teaching, research, clinical, internship, and publishing activities undertaken within New York University School of Law on issues of international human rights law." Browse the site to learn what resources are available.

CENTER ON RACE AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS - U. PITTSBURGH
https://www.crsp.pitt.edu/about
From the web site: "The mission of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP) is to conduct applied social science research on race, color, ethnicity and their influence on the quality of life for all Americans." 

CHILDREN AND FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER AT NORTHWESTERN
https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/cfjc/
From the web site: "Providing access to justice for unrepresented youth is a core mission of the CFJC. Each year, CFJC faculty, staff and students represent young people on a wide range of matters, from delinquency to immigration and asylum to cases addressing harsh sentencing practices or the collateral consequences youth face after coming into contact with the law. Oftentimes, the CFJC gives its young clients access to a lawyer when they otherwise would not have one." 

CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT AT AT UCLA
https://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/about-us
From the web site: "Its mission is to create a new generation of research in social science and law, on the critical issues of civil rights and equal opportunity for racial and ethnic groups in the United States." 

COMMUNITY RESTORATIVE JUSTICE (RJ) HUBS IN CHICAGO
https://rjhubs.org/
From the web site: "RJ Hubs are a community led restorative justice approach to youth crime and conflict. Our vision is that RJ Hubs are safe spaces in the community where youth are welcomed and supported in building healthy relationships, expressing themselves, addressing trauma, and developing necessary skills and competencies.  Importantly, the RJ Hub model is directly informed by the latest science on childhood trauma. It is designed as a strategy for helping people to move beyond the effects of adverse childhood experiences, guiding them towards sustainable healing and growth."

COUNCIL FOR A STRONG AMERICA - FIGHT CRIME, INVEST IN KIDS
https://www.strongnation.org/fightcrime
From the web site: "Founded in 1996, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids takes a hard-nosed look at the strategies proven to reduce crime. Armed with research, our more than 5,000 members make the case for solutions that cut crime and put kids on the path to productive lives."

DEFINING ECONOMIC JUSTICE - CESJ WEBSITE
https://www.cesj.org/learn/definitions/defining-economic-justice-and-social-justice/
This page on the Center for Economic and Social Justice website provides its definition of economic and social justice.  

ENDING THE "CRADLE TO PRISON" PIPELINE CAMPAIGN
https://www.childrensdefense.org/child-watch-columns/health/2012/ending-the-cradle-to-prison-pipeline-and-mass-incarceration-the-new-american-jim-crow/
This is a 2012 article on the  Children's Defense Fund's  (CDF) web site. Look in the "Policies" section of the site for other emphasis areas.

EQUAL JUSTICE AND THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION (PDF)
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED471045
This 2002 pdf is titled: "Using Technology to Meet the Legal Needs of Low-Income People"  This report is a blueprint for how tutor/mentor programs can learn to share ideas and actions that help low-income youth move to careers. The T/MC seeks partners from the Equal Justice Community who want to explore opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, enabled by the use of technology.

EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE - BRYAN STEPHENSON
https://eji.org/about/
From the web site: "The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people."  Browse the site. Learn about the issues and resources available. Get involved.

EQUAL JUSTICE USA
https://ejusa.org/about-us/
From the web site: "Equal Justice USA (EJUSA) is a national organization that works to make the criminal justice system more fair, effective, and responsive by ending the death penalty, strengthening programs that help crime survivors address trauma and rebuild their lives, promoting constructive responses to violence, and enacting common sense criminal justice reforms."

FIND LEGAL SERVICES IN EVERY STATE
https://www.lawhelp.org/find-help
From the web site: "LawHelp.org has been created for people living on low-incomes and the legal organizations that serve them. LawHelp.org provides referrals to local legal aid and public interest law offices, basic information about legal rights, court forms, self-help information, court information, links to social service agencies, and more in your state." 

GOVERNMENT ALLIANCE ON RACE AND EQUITY (GARE)
https://www.racialequityalliance.org/
From the web site: "The Government Alliance on Race and Equity is a national network of government working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all." 

HALL OF JUSTICE - PUBLICLY AVAILABLE CRIMINAL JUSTICE DATASETS AND RESEARCH.
https://sunlightfoundation.com/2016/02/02/sunlight-launches-hall-of-justice-a-massive-data-inventory-on-criminal-justice-across-the-u-s/
From the web site: "Sunlight is launched the Hall of Justice in 2016 with this message: It will be a robust, searchable data inventory of nearly 10,000 datasets and research documents from across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the federal government. Hall of Justice is the culmination of 18 months of work gathering data and refining technology." On Sept. 2020 the site closed. It is an archive only.

HOW MATTERS - LOOKING BEYOND US BORDERS FOR SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY & RACISM
https://medium.com/@1000Currents/numbness-sorrow-rage-then-solutions-948f6af8cc43#.5gvo8htnz
This article, along with others, on the How Matters web site looks at way to overcome complex problems and provides a list of recommended reading for deeper learning and engagement. The collection of articles represents an extensive reading list.

ILLINOIS LEGAL AID ONLINE
https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/
From the web site: "We can guide you to resources to help you with your legal problem, including court forms, legal information, and referrals to free or low-cost legal aid lawyers. Or you can find legal self-help centers at courthouses and libraries across the state, where staff can help you use this site." 

INCARCERATION REFORM DIGITAL RESOURCE CENTER
https://incarcerationreform.com/
This web site is an extensive digital library of resources focusing on a wide range of justice related issues. Primarily focuses on Chicago but the resources add value to research being done in any city.

INCREASING PIPELINE OPPORTUNITIES IN LAW COMMUNITY
https://ccbjournal.com/articles/increasing-pipeline-opportunities-legal-profession-minorities
In this article, Titled Increasing Pipeline Opportunities in the Legal Community, the writer says, "The legal profession faces no greater challenge in the 21st century than the critical need to diversify its rank."  If you're part of the legal community I hope you read this and see the Tutor/Mentor Connection as a strategy to achieve this goal. 

INVISIBLE INSTITUTE - CITIZEN'S POLICE DATA PROJECT (CHICAGO)
https://invisible.institute/police-data/
From the web site: "Invisible Institute is a journalism production company on the South Side of Chicago. We work to enhance the capacity of citizens to hold public institutions accountable."  This link points to the Chicago Police Data Project which "is a portrait of impunity backed by the police department's own data. We built CPDP so that data about police activity can be useful to the public." View the video when you go to the site.

JUSTICE RESEARCH AND STATISTICS ASSOCIATION
https://www.jrsa.org/index.html
From the web site:  "The Justice Research and Statistics Association is a national nonprofit organization of state Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) directors, researchers, and practitioners throughout government, academia, and criminal justice organizations dedicated to policy-orientated research and analysis. Created in 1974, JRSA serves to promote the exchange of information among the SACs, enabling them to work towards common goals, and as a liaison between the state agencies and the Justice Department. " 

JUVENILE JUSTICE INITIATIVE OF ILLINOIS
https://jjustice.org/
MISSION; The Juvenile Justice Initiative is a statewide advocacy coalition to transform the juvenile justice system.  The JJI advocates to reduce reliance on detention, to enhance fairness for all youth and to develop adequate community based resources throughout the state; The JJI is a response to the significant changes in the juvenile justice system in Illinois and across the country. Although the number of crimes committed by juveniles is decreasing, the number of youths in custody is increasing. The Juvenile Justice Initiative works to inform and educate policy makers, the media, and the general public about the alarming increase in number of juveniles held in custody, about the disparate number of minority youth in custody, and about the lack of adequate community based alternatives to detention.

KEY CRIME POLICY FINDINGS - CHICAGO CRIME LAB INFO
https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/labs/crime
As media draw public attention to inner city violence with weekly stories, web sites like this provide information that can help people dig deeper to understand the roots of the problem, and potential solutions.

LAWNDALE CHRISTIAN LEGAL CENTER - JUVENILE JUSTICE AND YOUNG ADULT PROGRAMS
https://lclc.net/criminal-legal-defense/
From the web site: "LCLC serves youth involved with the criminal justice system, age 24 and younger, in North Lawndale. We provide youth with a unique integration of legal and social services to empower them to develop self-reliance. We come alongside youth who have been accused of an act of delinquency in the Cook County Juvenile Justice Division or who have been accused of a crime in the Cook County Criminal Justice Division (adult court)."

LAWYERS LEND-A-HAND PROGRAM AT CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION
https://www.lawyerslendahand.org/
The SunTimes Judge Marovitz Lawyers Lending a Hand to Youth Program is an example of how business, professional groups, churches and civic organizations can mobilize resources to support tutor/mentor programs in all poverty areas of a big city like Chicago.  This web site illustrates how lawyers, judges and law firms in Chicago are raising visibility, recruiting volunteers and raising dollars to support one-on-one tutor/mentor programs in Chicago. They also operate their own tutoring program.  This is a model that should be duplicated in every industry and in law firms all over the country. 

NOTE: The Tutor/Mentor Connection was part of the executive board for Lawyers Lend A Hand from 1994 through 2008 and received funding from the Lawyers Lending a Hand to Youth Program each year from 1994-2009.   Through the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, formed in 2011, we seek to help businesses grow this type of strategy in every industry in Chicago and other cities.

LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION
https://www.lsc.gov/i-am-grantee
From the web site: "LSC is the single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income residents in the U.S. and U.S. territories. The organizations that we fund help people who live in households with annual incomes at or below 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines."

LEGAL SERVICES LINKS
http://www.ptla.org/links
An extensive library of links hosted by Pine Tree Legal Assistance, a non-profit corporation providing legal assistance to people in the State of Maine.

LEGAL SERVICES NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE PROJECT
https://www.lsntap.org/
From the web site: "NTAP helps nonprofit legal aid programs improve client services through effective and innovative use of technology. To do this, we provide technology training, maintain information, create online tools, and host community forums such as the LSNTAP email list."

LEX MUNDI PRO BONO FOUNDATION - LAW FOR CHANGE
https://www.lexmundiprobono.org/lexmundiprobono/default.asp
From the web site:  "Inspired social entrepreneurs are working around the world to improve education, fight disease, combat global warming, protect civil rights and lift individuals out of poverty. For every grand challenge, there are dedicated social entrepreneurs working on creative solutions. Our mission at the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation is clear: social entrepreneurs will be more successful at tackling the worlds’ biggest challenges if they have access to quality pro bono legal advice from lawyers in the Lex Mundi global network. Social enterprises will scale faster, serve more people, expand more quickly to new territories, raise more money, and have greater success."

MEASURES OF JUSTICE - COUNTY-LEVEL DATA PLATFORM
https://measuresforjustice.org/about/story
From the web site; "Measures for Justice (MFJ) was founded in 2011 to develop a data-driven set of performance measures to assess and compare the criminal justice process from arrest to post-conviction on a county-by-county basis. The data set comprises measures that address three broad categories: Fiscal Responsibility, Fair Process, and Public Safety."  The site offers extensive data for data scientists and story tellers. Take time to explore. Share with potential users.

MODELS FOR CHANGE: SYSTEMS REFORM IN JUV. JUSTICE
http://www.modelsforchange.net/about/index.html
From the web site: "Models for Change supports a network of government and court officials, legal advocates, educators, community leaders, and families working together to ensure that kids who make mistakes are held accountable and treated fairly throughout the juvenile justice process.  Through modelsforchange.net, the initiative provides research-based tools and techniques to make juvenile justice more fair, effective, rational and developmentally appropriate." 

NATIONAL COALITION ON SCHOOL DIVERSITY - RESOURCE PAGE
https://www.school-diversity.org/members/
From the web site: "The National Coalition on School Diversity (NCSD) is a network of national civil rights organizations, university-based research centers, and state and local coalitions working to expand support for government policies that promote school diversity and reduce racial isolation. We also support the work of state and local school diversity practitioners. Our work is informed by an advisory panel of scholars and academic researchers whose work relates to issues of equity, diversity, and desegregation/integration."

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES - RESOURCE LIBRARY
https://www.nlc.org/resources-training/resource-library/
From the web site: "The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. Working in partnership with the 49 state municipal leagues, NLC serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 19,000 cities, villages and towns it represents." This link points to one of many topic areas on the site. 

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE - CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE
https://chiul.org/
From the web site: "The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, the National Urban League has 95 affiliates serving 300 communities, in 35 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide." 

ORGANIZATIONS IN US ADDRESSING POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE
https://fundersforjustice.org/
This  map on the FundersforJustice web site shows organizations around the country who focus on this issue. The web site is described this way: "This is a virtual organizing space for funders and affinity groups to connect with each other and with the movement for racial justice and police accountability across the country. This web portal is intended to help enable philanthropy’s role in partnering with our communities to create and live in vibrant, healthy, prosperous, democratic communities."

PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/
From the website: "The non-profit, non-partisan Prison Policy Initiative produces cutting edge research to expose the broader harm of mass criminalization, and then sparks advocacy campaigns to create a more just society." View the maps and report showing where people in prisons come from. 

PRO BONO NET
https://www.probono.net/
From the web site: "We work to bring the power of the law to all by building cutting-edge digital tools and fostering collaborations with the nation’s leading civil legal organizations."

QUESTIONS TO ASK POLICE CHIEFS - JULY 2020 ARTICLE
https://equalityalec.substack.com/p/questions-to-ask-police-chiefs
This article by Alec Copaganda includes a list of questions every Police chief in the country should be asking on a regular basis.  Take a look. 

RACE AND BEYOND: WHY YOUNG, MINORITY, AND LOW-INCOME CITIZENS DON’T VOTE
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2014/11/06/100627/why-young-minority-and-low-income-citizens-dont-vote/
“The reason politicians ignore so many of the working poor is that they don’t vote,.... And the reason so many of the working poor don’t vote is that certain politicians have made sure it’s as inconvenient as possible for them.”  If we're going to take power in this country away from the wealthy minority, we need to find ways to bring the masses to the voting booth.

RACE, POVERTY, POLICE, FERGUSON, MO. - READING LIST
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Michael_Brown
In the aftermath of the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO there have been countless articles written, some from a conservative perspective and some from a liberal perspective. Instead of trying to build a library of such articles on the Tutor/Mentor Connection, I'm pointing to a Wikipedia page which is building links to numerous articles written in 2014, and others written after similar high profile incidents in the past. 

RECLAIMING THE PROMISE OF RACIAL EQUITY IN EDUCATION, ECONOMICS AND OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM - PDF
https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/racial_equity_taskforce_10-8-15.pdf
From the web site: "This report of the Racial Equity Task Force of the American Federation of Teachers expresses our shared vision and charts a path for our union in the fight to reclaim the promise of racial equity."  This report shows goals that many could share.

REENTRY COURT SOLUTIONS: A RESOURCE FOR COMMUNITY BASED REENTRY SYSTEMS
http://www.reentrycourtsolutions.com/most-read/
From the web site: "REENTRY COURT SOLUTIONS (RCS) is designed to provide critical information, resources, and assistance to those interested in developing effective Reentry Courts and Evidence-Based Sentencing Systems. We will  share our knowledge, experience, and expertise with those who wish to learn, and learn and disseminate information from those who wish to share what they know." 

ROBERT REICH.ORG - IDEAS FOR A MORE JUST SOCIETY
https://robertreich.org/post/72770488951
From the web site: "Robert Reich is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies, and was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration.   Articles and ideas shared on this site focus on creating "a new political coalition of America’s poor and working middle class, bent not only on repairing the nation’s frayed safety nets but also on getting a fair share of the economies’ gains."

SAFETY AND JUSTICE CHALLENGE - SUPPORTED BY MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
https://safetyandjusticechallenge.org/
From the web site: "The Safety and Justice Challenge is providing support to local leaders from across the country who are determined to tackle one of the greatest drivers of over-incarceration in America—the misuse and overuse of jails."

SARGENT SHRIVER NATIONAL CENTER ON POVERTY LAW - CLEARING HOUSE TOOLBOX
https://www.povertylaw.org/about-us/
From the web site: "The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law provides national leadership in advancing laws and policies that secure justice to improve the lives and opportunities of people living in poverty."

SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY AND PRACTICE GROUP - RESOURCES
http://www.policymagic.org/resources.htm
Social Welfare Policy and Practice Group at South Carolina University encourages the study and teaching of social welfare policy practice within social work education. This link points to a page with links to an extensive list of social policy resources. 

THE CHICAGO LAWYER'S COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS - EDUCATION INITIATIVE
https://www.clccrul.org/mission-values-history
From the web site: "The mission of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. (CLC) is to protect and promote civil rights by bringing the strength and prestige of the private bar to bear on the problems of poverty and discrimination.  This project hopes to prevent, reduce, and eliminate the known disproportionate complications in the classroom burdening minority and low-income communities in the Chicago area. To do this, The Chicago Lawyer's Committee is partnering with a variety of organizations and law firms to help address community concerns about the educational injustices they face."

THE MARSHALL PROJECT: NON-PROFIT JOURNALISM ABOUT CRIMINAL JUSTICE
https://www.themarshallproject.org/about?via=navright
From the web site: "Since 2014, The Marshall Project has been curating some of the best criminal justice reporting from around the web. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the criminal justice conversation. The Marshall Project does not endorse the viewpoints or vouch for the accuracy of reports other than its own."

TRANSFORM HARM - RESOURCE HUB FOR ENDING VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO
https://transformharm.org/
From the web site: "TransformHarm.org is a resource hub about ending violence. It offers an introduction to transformative justice. The site includes selected articles, audio-visual resources, curricula, and more." 

YOUTH COURT: A PATH TO CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
https://youthcourt.net/
From the web site:  "Youth court programs strive to nurture in youth a respect for the rule of law, help develop positive citizenship attitudes, encourage civic engagement, and promote educational success through a diversity of service learning opportunities, strategies and activities. Youth courts are structured to provide positive alternative sanctions for first-time offenders by providing a peer-driven sentencing mechanism that allows young people to take responsibility, to be held accountable, and to make restitution. Positive peer pressure is used in youth courts to exert influence over adolescent behavior."

YOUTH OUTREACH SERVICES (YOU) - JUVENILE JUSTICE SERVICES
https://www.yos.org/services/juvenile-justice
YOU serves youth and families on Chicago's West side. Visit their web site to learn about their juvenile justice and prevention programs and how they partner with schools and educators, coalitions, community-based organizations and social service agencies.

 
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