Shining a light in the dark corners of Baltimore City’s Courts
We watch court proceedings and report what we see in order to hold court actors accountable and end the injustice that is the criminal legal system.
By the Numbers
6,072
total bail reviews observed
49.2%
of the total observed hearings ended with the Judge ordering someone to stay in jail until trial
*bail hearing data updated through 8/31/2023
8
active volunteers
1,759.4
total volunteer hours
*volunteer data updated through Oct 2022
Our Mission
The courtrooms that exist in the popular imagination, and the rights that people are told we have, do not in any meaningful way exist in real life.
We aim to expose the everyday violence and cruelty of our criminal justice system with an abolitionist lens.
Our focus is on organizing and training volunteers to observe various court proceedings and report what is observed.
We publish our findings to raise consciousness about the way our system works for the average person in order to shatter the illusion of a just system that simply needs tweaking.
We intend to be a counterweight to the carceral perspective that dominates public consciousness, discourse, and action.
Thank you for taking your time to learn about us!