JTDL: the 100th issue!; local crime data in peril + new jobs
Editor’s Note
This issue is a celebratory twofer. Last week was the Justice Tech Download’s second anniversary and this is our 100th issue!
When I started this project, I wanted to share what I was teaching at Georgetown Law each week with the dozen or so U.S. professors in the same niche world of criminal justice and technology. To say the least, the newsletter has grown well beyond that goal.
Today, focused on justice technology broadly, we are a community hailing from every continent, except Antarctica. We are journalists, advocates, lawyers, technologists, government employees, business leaders, academics, and students. In the last ten months alone, we’ve grown by an astounding 110%.
This success is thanks to all of you that open this newsletter on Monday mornings, send jobs and articles to share, and forward the newsletter to friends and colleagues. Eleni Manis and Daan Vansimpsen deserve specific shout outs for their tremendous work improving the jobs section. I can’t thank them enough.
As for what’s next, the Monday newsletter will continue as you know it. As an experiment, I expect to add bonus dispatches with original essays of my own this winter. Regardless of any changes, the newsletter will remain free for the foreseeable future. However, if you are feeling generous, I have two favors to ask:
First, keep the job postings, articles, and events coming. Every week, you continue to help fill in gaps and make the newsletter better. You can reply to the newsletter to let me know what you’d like to see included.
Second, please share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues on social media, in listservs, and from the tallest landmass in your area. The more we grow, the more comprehensive this newsletter becomes. (The sign up URL is https://justicetech.substack.com.)
Thank you all for being a part of this project and continuing to make it better. Here’s to 100 more! 🥂
-Jason
News
Starting in January, one-in-four big city police departments may stop reporting crime data to the FBI. (Newsy)
Portlanders built their own facial recognition tool to monitor the police. (New York Times) Baltimore won’t ban facial recognition anytime soon. (Baltimore Sun) Facial recognition startup Clearview makes generally meaningless moves to limit risk of police abuse. (Wall Street Journal)
The police can break into your phone, and they do it more than we realized. (New York Times) The widespread power of U.S. law enforcement to search mobile phones. (Upturn)
Google AI tech will be used for a virtual border wall. (Intercept)
The pilot period for the Baltimore police spy plane is over, what comes next is unclear. (Baltimore Brew)
Michigan passed an automated expungement law. (Michigan)
Not just a U.S. issue, justice in England and Wales also depends on data—and the pandemic shows why. (Law Society Gazette)
[Podcast] How COVID is changing the courts and the practice of law. (Talk Justice) Despite budget cuts, courts are doubling down on video conferencing tech. (Law.com) (h/t Lawtomatic)
Principles on how technological progress can promote equity and justice as it enhances safety, economic opportunity, and convenience for everyone. (Civil Rights, Privacy and Technology Table)
DoNotPay now helps send letters to incarcerated people. (VICE)
People’s individual legal needs have a new fundraising platform. (Legaler Aid)
Jobs & Opportunities
18F, the federal government’s in-house tech shop, is hiring. (18F) (h/t Eleni Manis)
6Clicks, which do cyber security audits for courts and government agencies, needs an “enabler”. (6C) (h/t Josh Jackson)
The ACLU needs a technology fellow to look at tech that impacts civil rights. (ACLU) (h/t Irene Mo)
The American Bar Association’s Center for Innovation is looking for a deputy director. (ABA)
Arnold Ventures has a bunch of job openings in their various criminal justice tracks. (Arnold)
[New] ATJ Tech Fellows has a science fiction writing competition for law students. (ATJ)
The Brennan Center is looking for a bunch of legal interns. (BC) (h/t Eleni Manis)
Callisto needs a senior dev. (C)
The Center for Policing Equity needs a data analyst and full stack engineer. (CPE) (h/t Eleni Manis)
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has openings in their Justice and Opportunity vertical. (CZI)
Cornell’s Digital Life Initiative has a new technology law and policy fellowship. (CDLI)
Data for Black Lives needs a national organizing director. (DfBL)
DataKind is looking for a director of volunteers. (DK) (h/t Eleni Manis)
DC’s Criminal Code Reform Commission needs a social scientist. (CCRC)
The Edinburgh Futures Institute’s Centre for Technomoral Futures has four funded PhDs to give away. (EFI)
Everytown for Gun Safety needs a data engineer. (EGS) (h/t Eleni Manis)
[New] Fastcase needs a technical product manager. (FC) (h/t Sam Harden)
Future Tense is looking for a research and events associate. (FT)
Georgetown’s Beek Center for Social Impact is hiring a data and justice researcher. (BC)
Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology needs an associate. (CPT)
The Harvard Ash Center needs a research assistant. (HAC) (h/t Eleni Manis)
The Harvard Berkman Klein Center opened its fellowship application. (BKC) (h/t Eleni Manis)
The Harvard Law Library’s Innovation Lab needs a outreach coordinator. (HLL)
JustFix.nyc is looking for a UX/UI designer. (JF)
[New] Just Tech has numerous openings. (JT) (h/t Legal Tech Jobs)
LawHelpNY needs a new director. (CFW)
Lagniappe Law Lab needs a legal content manager. (LLL) (h/t Amanda Brown)
Microsoft needs a senior director for responsible AI engineering (MSFT) and a PM focused on justice and equity. (MSFT) (h/t Eleni Manis)
[New] Next Chapter, a coding bootcamp for the previously incarcerated, is accepting applications. (NC) (h/t Emma Simpson)
[New] Paladin needs a full stack engineer. (P)
The Partnership on AI is looking for a director of research. (PAI) (h/t Eleni Manis)
The Philly District Attorney's Office is looking for researchers, data scientists and programmers. (PDAO)
Presidential Innovation Fellowship is open for applications. (PIF) (h/t Eleni Manis)
Pro Bono Net has an open position. (PBN)
Raheem, a platform for reporting police violence, needs a software engineer. (R)
RapidSoS, a data platform for first responders, is hiring. (RSoS) (h/t Eleni Manis)
Recidiviz needs a director of ops and a security engineer. (R)
Ryerson University’s Legal Innovation Zone has multiple openings. (RU) (h/t Legal Tech Jobs)
San Francisco city government needs a business analyst for their criminal justice data work. (SF) (h/t Eleni Manis)
Schmidt Futures has numerous open roles. (SF)
The Shuttleworth Foundation opened applications for fellows. (SF)
SimpleCitizen, an immigration tech company, needs a customer success strategist. (SC) (h/t Eleni Manis)
Suffolk Law School needs an instructional designer for its online legal education. (SLS)
Suffolk Law School’s LIT Lab needs a Python dev. (SLS)
Theory and Principle, a legal software development boutique, needs a full stack dev. (T&P)
TuitApp needs a legal researcher. (TA) (h/t Legal Tech Jobs)
[New] The Vera Institute of Justice has numerous open positions, including a director of innovation. (VIJ) (h/t Eleni Manis)
Yale Law School is looking for visiting fellows for the Information Society Project. (ISP)