Amy Bach

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2011

Amy Bach

Measures for Justice

http://www.measuresforjustice.org

Legal Advocacy

The Bold Idea:

Bold Idea: Inspire change in the U.S. judicial system by creating and disseminating an on-going ranking of local courts based on their effectiveness in crime reduction and recidivism prevention.

Organization: The Center will house a Justice Index that will rank local criminal courts on factors such as recidivism, crime reduction, and collateral consequences (e.g. whether people lose jobs or homes after contact with the system.) Most important, the Index will spot egregious conduct and lagging performance so citizens can demand improvement from legal professionals. As of now, no one knows how a court is operating, so there's no pressure for change. We will then offer services to those who rank low.

Biography:

Moment of Obligation: I spent nearly a decade researching the problems that plague criminal courts. And I wrote a book. For the conclusion, I wanted to say something idealistic about how one person can change a system. But too many of the advocates I researched seemed to get smacked down or fired. What people need, I realized, are ways to monitor hard-to-see problems in their own courts so that unfair treatment can be addressed. As I talked and wrote about this vision, I knew my work could not end with the book’s publication.

Book every social entrepreneur should read: Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

Favorite Quote: "Ring the bells that still can ring / Forget your perfect offering / There is a crack, a crack in everything / That's how the light gets in." -Leonard Cohen

Related Media:

New York Times Op-Ed: "Justice by the Numbers"