Randomization Gone Wild: Lessons from a Fragile Family Court Study
By Michelle Blouin, Communications Associate, Access to Justice Lab, Harvard Law School The Access to Justice Lab’s study, which we […]
Studies
Pro Se Perceptions of Fairness in Remote and In-Person Court
Which is better—in-person or virtual court hearings? That is the basic question at the heart of the Access to Justice Lab’s Online Courts study. While the lab studied the relevant quantitative data to help courts in family law cases, our study partner Emily LaGratta sought to answer the same question through a qualitative study, seeking answers from the perspective of self-represented litigants in family law cases. Measuring litigant satisfaction with effectiveness for court procedures should, in theory, determine the “best” medium for court proceedings, right?
The Expungement Experiment: Housing and Happiness Outcomes
In this third post about the Final Stage Reentry Project, we focus on the impact expungement has on housing and on identity and overall life satisfaction. Despite our hypothesis that a clear record would clear the way for housing and happiness, expungement once again had no impact. We dig into these results and the potential reasons for the findings.
The Expungement Experiment: Impact on Employment
Criminal record clearing may help individuals attain jobs, housing, and life satisfaction, according to many criminal justice system reformers. This week, we look at the A2J Lab’s long-running expungement study and the impact of record clearing on employment–a reason 84 percent of our study participants cited for wanting an expungement. The results surprised researchers and clarified policy needs for effective expungement outcomes.
The Expungement Experiment: Effectiveness of Legal Aid
Would-be criminal justice system reformers have long believed that a criminal record inhibits the search for secure employment, housing, and life happiness, and those problems in turn lead to increased recidivism. For reformers, the answer to these challenges has been some kind of criminal justice record clearing. But that theory has only some evidence to support it. In this first of three posts, the A2J Lab dives into its long-running randomized controlled trial in Kansas studying expungement’s impact on reentry outcomes.
When Lawyers Matter Most: Lessons from Legal Assistance During Evictions
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.
Turning Proof into Policy: Evidence for Guaranteed Income to Support Black Mothers
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.
Testing the Poverty-Child Welfare Connection: Pre-Pilot Study Explores Guaranteed Income
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.
At the Poverty Line: Is Money the Root of Family Stability?
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.
Inside CHAMPS’ Evidence-Based Holistic Approach to Child Advocacy
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.