Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer as a courtwatcher and become the eyes and ears of your community in your local magistrates’ court.
CourtWatch is a mass court observation project, where citizen volunteers observe the daily hearings in court and write down what they see. The real-time data and stories volunteers collect will shine a spotlight on what really happens in our local courts, expose shortfalls and highlight systemic injustices. The CourtWatch project is run by Transform Justice, a charity that works for a fairer, more compassionate criminal justice system.
Volunteer responsibilities:
- visit your local magistrates’ court for half a day (or a day) at a time, on any weekday. Ideally volunteers will courtwatch for a minimum of two days (or four half days)
- observe criminal hearings happening in the court and write down what happens in the hearings you observe, using a form provided by the CourtWatch team
- write up your notes into an online form after your visit (if you don’t have easy access to a computer, we can work around this)
To become a courtwatcher volunteer, register your interest here: https://transformjustice.eo.page/courtwatchlondon
This grid shows when you can volunteer for this opportunity.
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Anyone can courtwatch! You do not need any knowledge or expertise in law or criminal justice to be a courtwatcher. You just need to be passionate about justice and equality, and keen to create positive change in your community.
We will provide you with all the training you need on what happens at court, what to look out for and how to document what happens. Training will be online and likely take place over two sessions. There will also be regular check-ins and debriefs where you can talk with the CourtWatch team and other volunteers about what you saw and heard.