Racial disparities in Wisconsin’s incarceration rates are among the worst in the country. This is a result of issues at every level of the system. Public attention to the court system is necessary to drive change in court processes. In 2018, volunteers with the Madison-based Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership developed the court observer program to gain a deeper understanding of the criminal legal process in Dane County. In 2021, with the impact of the pandemic on housing insecurity, the program expanded to include eviction court.

Participants in the Court Observer Program will share updated information from a new report representing the first of an initial series of findings that combine observational, focus group, and community participation data to share what they have learned in the programs first five years.

Register HERE