The ABA JusticeHack Series is a core component of the ABA Coalition on Racial & Ethnic Justice's Digital Justice Initiative (DJI), launched in 2017.
Relying on core principles of Innovation, Technology & Inclusion, the DJI aim to bring together communities of color, persons with disabilities, and the legal, law enforcement, and technology sectors to resolve conflicts between law enforcement and communities of color and persons with disabilities through technology (including mobile apps).
The goals of DJI are to:
- collect and analyze national, state, and local data to determine the core issues underlying the tensions between communities of color and their police forces;
- hold outcome-oriented public engagement through a series of ABA JusticeHacks that propose and develop action plans and practical ways to resolve the issues with the assistance of the key stakeholders;
- develop a collaborative initiative that utilizes the talents, knowledge, and resources of the legal community, communities of color, disabilities communities, technology communities, and law enforcement entities; and
- evaluate the ideas and technology solutions (including apps) developed during each Hackathon for inclusion in a best practices resource guide to be used by local governments, law enforcement agencies, communities of color, bar associations, the legal community, and other interested stakeholders.
JusticeHack projects are evaluated by a team of expert judges evaluate concepts on four main criteria—user experience, innovation, impact, and feasibility—as well as collaboration and scale.