Public attention to systemic injustices within the criminal legal system have increased significantly over the past decade. Despite efforts to call out the harm perpetrated by police and prisons, the criminal court process remains a black box. However, judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys play a huge role in determining whether and how people are sentenced to incarceration after arrest.
For the past three years, a group of court watch volunteers in Alameda County have observed how courts are dealing with rising COVID cases in jails, using money bail versus pretrial alternatives, and treating defendants and their loved ones in hearings. We are looking for volunteers to join us in this effort to uncover what is happening in the criminal courts, share this information with the public, and hold court officials accountable to the communities they are supposed to serve.
The Community Defense Project will also focus on broader community education related to local District Attorneys and the role they play within the criminal legal system, as well as equip community members with necessary support to help combat the system at large. A report published by the Urban Peace Movement and the ACLU can be found here: https://meetyourda.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/acda-press-release.pdf
Students will participate in a number of projects depending on Urban Peace Movement’s needs. The main areas of impact are court watching and participatory defense. This will entail: observing court hearings and noteworthy trials in person (and online); writing reports, compiling data, and consolidating court watch observations to present to community organizers; preparing family members from the participatory defense hub to present statements and compile biography packets about their incarcerated loved ones for mitigation purposes; conducting legal research as needed; and generally supporting Urban Peace Movement with ongoing projects and priorities (current focuses include diversion court, resentencing proceedings, and criminal legal system accountability). Students will work in pairs for the participatory defense work. We will also aim to incorporate the ongoing ideas and interests of group members in determining our work.
Supervision: Students will receive training and be supervised by attorneys at the East Bay Community Law Center and organizers at Urban Peace Movement.
Time Commitment: 15-20 hours per semester.
For more information, please contact the student leaders at cdp@law.berkeley.edu.