How to Make an Impact on Criminal Justice Reform

Open Philanthropy Project Dec 12, 2018
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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Chloe Cockburn: How to Make an Impact on Criminal Justice Reform Giving Compass

Giving Compass’ Take:

• This post from the Open Philanthropy Project explores several opportunities for donors, including a Bronx nonprofit that connects people to legal advice 24/7 and a New Orleans court watching program.

• How might these organizations empower those impacted by the criminal justice system? What are the biggest challenges in this particular area that are of greatest concern?

• Another donation outlet to consider: The Unlocked Futures Fund.

Good Call

What is it? Good Call is a nonprofit that runs a free 24/7 arrest hotline in the Bronx, allowing anyone to connect with a free lawyer right away if they or a loved one are arrested. There are over 14 million arrests in the US every year, concentrated in low-income communities. Good Call’s service helps prevent costly, unnecessary pretrial jail time by ensuring that people who are arrested and their families get legal advice as quickly as possible.

Why I suggest it: Spending even one night in jail can have significant detrimental effects — making it more likely that a person will plead guilty, and putting their housing, employment, parental status, and other key components of their lives in jeopardy.

Court Watch Nola

What is it: Court Watch Nola (CWN) is a New Orleans based court watching program that engages 100-200 volunteers on an annual basis (having trained over 1000 over the past 10 years) to witness court proceedings and take detailed notes on what they observe. CWN compiles data from these notes into reports issued regularly. In 2017, information gathered by CWN contributed to substantially increased scrutiny of the New Orleans District Attorney, Leon Cannizzaro, who was found to be issuing fake subpoenas and jailing sexual assault victims for refusing to testify.

Why support it: CWN believes, and I agree, that systemic change comes if directly-impacted people and the community at large are actively engaged in the process of legal education, direct observation and data collection. Court monitoring, observation and the collection of data can empower the people most affected by the criminal justice system to ultimately lead movements to improve the policies that affect their lives.

Read the full article on criminal justice reform by Chole Cockburn at Open Philanthropy Project.

Impact Philanthropy is a complex topic, and others found these selections from the Impact Giving archive from Giving Compass to be good resources.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Evidence Based Decision Making

    Across the United States, governments and nonprofit organizations are working to address a range of pressing problems such as hunger, homelessness, unemployment, high rates of disease, failing schools, and teen pregnancy. There are a number of programs designed to target these issues. However, many of these well-intentioned efforts have failed to produce adequate improvements. If we are to solve these problems, we must dramatically accelerate the pace at which we learn what works and insist on services that deliver measurable results. Governments and nonprofits should continually analyze and evaluate the impact of their programs and try new approaches. Programs that are found to be successful should be replicated and scaled, while those that are not effective should be modified or eliminated... Read the source article at Laura and John Arnold Foundation

Looking for a way to get involved?

If you are looking for opportunities to learn and connect with others interested in the topic of Crime and Safety, take a look at these events, galas, conferences and volunteering opportunities aggregated by Giving Compass.

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In addition to learning and connecting with others, taking action is a key step towards becoming an impact giver. If you are interested in giving with impact for Crime and Safety take a look at these Giving Funds, Charitable Organizations or Projects.

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