Courts & Communities
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Courts & Communities

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Courts & Communities
State and local courts hear more than 95% of all cases filed in the United States, covering matters that directly affect the safety, well-being, and stability of millions of people and their communities. Many of these cases—including those involving debt collection, eviction, traffic, and child guardianship—can have profound, life-changing implications, and communities of color are disproportionately affected by the outcomes.

But in today’s state and local legal systems, many cases that would benefit from a judge’s consideration never reach the bench while matters that could be effectively resolved outside of the courtroom are clogging dockets. By contrast, effective, modern systems would enable judicial and court staff to focus on the cases that require their expertise and attention, allowing them to better serve communities.

The Pew Charitable Trusts’ courts and communities project works to build open, effective, and equitable state and local legal systems that enable all people to meaningfully participate in court processes, expeditiously resolve cases, and avoid unnecessary interactions with the court in favor of proven alternative interventions. The project supports efforts to deliver on this vision by producing data-driven research to expand knowledge on how courts affect individuals and communities and by building partnerships with communities, the private sector, policymakers, and other stakeholders to identify and advance comprehensive improvements.

Article

4 Strategies to Improve People's Appearance in Court

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Article

Courts process more than 15 million criminal cases and 30 million traffic cases a year. At that volume, if even just a small percentage of people miss a court appearance, the number of missed hearings will quickly add up. Missed hearings create additional work for court staff, add to the backlog of cases awaiting resolutions, and create inefficiencies for courthouse operations. They also come with serious consequences for communities: A missed hearing can result in a bench warrant, driver’s license suspension, fines, and even jail time.

A black and white photo showing a person with a gray beard, carrying a child on his back as they walk along a beach. Both look into the distance ahead, smiling wide.
A black and white photo showing a person with a gray beard, carrying a child on his back as they walk along a beach. Both look into the distance ahead, smiling wide.
Report

Better Civil Court Policies Can Improve Child Guardianship

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Report

Nationwide, about 3.7 million U.S. children—1 in 20—live in a household without a parent as their primary caregiver. Many are cared for by grandparents or another family member or friend, and these nonparents routinely provide children with safe, stable environments when their parents are unable or unwilling to do so.

Debt Collectors
Report

How Debt Collectors Are Transforming State Courts

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Report

The business of state civil courts has changed over the past three decades. In 1990, a typical civil court docket featured cases with two opposing sides, each with an attorney, most frequently regarding commercial matters and disputes over contracts, injuries, and other harms.

The Pandemic's Impact on America’s Civil Courts
The Pandemic's Impact on America’s Civil Courts
Podcast

The Pandemic's Impact on America's Civil Courts

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Podcast

Debt collection cases are the most common civil court cases today, but many Americans are navigating the civil legal system without legal representation and paying heavy consequences. In this episode we hear from Erika Rickard, who leads Pew’s work to modernize civil court systems.

OUR WORK

Civil Court Modernization Toolkit

Resources and strategies to make civil courts more open, effective, and equitable

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U.S. civil court staff and leaders support using data to modernize their policies and processes to better serve litigants. But the courts were designed for attorneys, so updating them to function well for the majority of today’s users—most of whom do not have lawyers—is a major undertaking.