Studies

Cartoon depicting a lawyer helping a tenant navigate an eviction hearing

When Lawyers Matter Most: Lessons from Legal Assistance During Evictions

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The premise of right-to-counsel programs is straightforward: if tenants are at risk of losing their homes, and landlords usually have lawyers, then tenants should have lawyers too. But do lawyers actually prevent evictions? And if they do, is it because they win legal arguments in court, or because they help tenants navigate the broader system surrounding eviction? Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to learn more.

Cartoon depicting a mother and child on a stage between a bear representing Mother Up and holding cash out to them and a monkey representing Child Protection Services and being pulled off the stage.

Turning Proof into Policy: Evidence for Guaranteed Income to Support Black Mothers

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The Mother Up project has grown from a small six-person study to the expanded and currently enrolling Phase III study now underway. Throughout, Mother’s Outreach Network has been building evidence to show that financial support, in addition to a network of social and legal help, can help Black mothers avoid entanglement with child welfare agencies. The leader of the organization offers her vision on the project and reaction to the results so far.

Cartoon depicting Mothers Outreach Network (as a bear) giving money to a mother and child (drawn as horses) to buy (horse) shoes.

Testing the Poverty-Child Welfare Connection: Pre-Pilot Study Explores Guaranteed Income

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The “Mother Up” pre-pilot program is an evaluation of a guaranteed income project targeting Black mothers in Washington, DC, who are in danger of getting involved with the child welfare system. Studying the efficacy of the program provided the A2J Lab with enough solid data to pursue it on a larger scale and bring an evidence-based voice to the discussion on poverty’s link to child welfare.

Cartoon comparing a household of neglect due to poverty vs. a household with a little more money running smoothly.

At the Poverty Line: Is Money the Root of Family Stability?

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Eight hundred families in Illinois–and the researchers working with them–are about to find out. With monthly cash gifts of varying denominations dependent on family size and local cost of living, participants of the EmPwR Study will gain firsthand knowledge of whether a year of guaranteed income will stave off child welfare involvement. HLS J.D. candidate Julia Saltzman examines the relationship between poverty and family regulation system involvement and shares details on the randomized controlled trial taking place in urban, suburban, and rural communities in Illinois.

Cartoon depicts Child Protection Services as a falling building, with law and medical support helping to save a family

Inside CHAMPS’ Evidence-Based Holistic Approach to Child Advocacy

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This is the story of a traditional law school clinic that has evolved into much more. CHAMPS, the Carolina Health Advocacy Medical–Legal Partnership, is a legal service provider embedded in a healthcare setting. It’s also the field partner for an A2J Lab study evaluating whether legal partnerships can reduce downstream involvement by child welfare agencies in cases potentially due to poverty-related conditions.

Cartoon depicting a judge on a cellphone saying they're buying an autopen before affidavit review

Rubber Stamp or Real Safeguard? Inside Judicial Review of Search Warrants

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In a Harvard Law Review article last June, three authors wrote about their empirical research on how judicial review of warrants work in practice and whether such submission and reviews of warrants offer a meaningful check on police power or simply a system of rubber stamps. While the data analysis proved to be complex in determining best practices, it revealed some troubling patterns.

graphic of hands with symbols of necessities

Mother Up Study Links Child Neglect, Poverty, and Guaranteed Income

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The Access to Justice Lab published a newly released study of Washington, D.C. mothers involved in Child Protective Services demonstrating that government-funded child welfare programs are effective in reducing child neglect cases by prioritizing economic support to overcome conditions caused by poverty.

Cartoon depicting a defendant getting lower bail because of the presence of a lawyer

When Defendants get Counsel at First Appearance…

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An individual’s First Appearance before a court in a criminal case has significant impacts on the defendant’s freedom and the costs that a criminal trial can bear on the defendant’s life, before it even begins. However, many states still begin the trial process without an offer of counsel. But what happens if defendants DO have counsel at First Appearances? 

Cartoon depicting the challenge of bringing access to pretrial justice in Africa

Denied: Global Right to Counsel Study 

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Despite a right to counsel in both Kenya and Tunisia, the default for low- and middle-income individuals who cannot afford to pay for legal representation is no counsel at all. The A2J Lab began a project to study the effects of early access to counsel for misdemeanors in the two countries but was thwarted in January by a federal stop work order. What follows is an update on the project itself and the educational moment it provided.

Cartoon depicting an owl teaching life skills to some repeat offenders of the animal world

Education and Community Support: Key to Avoiding Repeat Arrests?

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A typical cycle for someone caught in the U.S. criminal justice system due to poverty-related issues may look something like this: Risky behavior on the individual’s part leading to arrest for a low-level crime such as shoplifting, followed by court-appointed community service. Repeat. An A2J Lab study aims to find out whether a community diversion program offers a better chance of breaking this cycle than community service programs.

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