WATCH

WATCH's mission is to make the justice system more effective and responsive in handling cases of violence, particularly against women and children, and to create a more informed and involved public.

• WATCH monitors are in court with red clipboards every day, telling all who work there that they are accountable to the public.

• WATCH works toward court policies and procedures that are fair and respectful to everyone, and strives to ensure individual cases are handled with a high degree of integrity.

WATCH achieves success by using court monitoring to conduct studies, make recommendations, and provide direct feedback to justice system members. To maximize our impact in improving the courts, we work in partnership with organizations that share our mission.

In April 20011, WATCH concluded its first-ever comprehensive project monitoring domestic violence cases in suburban Hennepin County, and publshed Promoting Victim Safety and Offender Accountability: Improving the Response to Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Cases.

In May 2010, we released a report of an extensive project monitoring child protection cases. Reasonable efforts or unrealistic expectations: a look at Hennepin County child protection cases is available on our website, www.watchmn.org, along with comprehensive information about our programs and accomplishments.

Transparent courts are a hallmark of a democracy, and WATCH insists, year after year, on the public’s right to observe court proceedings. As a judge has noted, “it woke everybody up to…a different paradigm…that we’re paid by the public and we are accountable to the public.”