Research
Nature of contracts between prisons and private technology vendors
Since 2017 the number of state prisons that have signed contracts to provide tablets and digital services to the incarcerated has increased steadily. There have been reports that these contracts are structured to benefit prisons and private technology vendors. This study seeks to understand the nature of contracts and how state prison policies around access to digital technologies and services are structured.
Supporters: University of Washington Tech Policy Lab
Usability of court websites
Courts play a vital role in the justice system. Among other things, people in courts work together to apply the law of the country, resolve disputes and keep people safe. An entry point into courts, like other institutions, is their website. An informal review in 2021 of Washington State court websites revealed that many are missing functionalities and features that improve the usefulness and usability of websites. In this research, we seek to understand how people use and perceive the usefulness and usability of local court websites. We also seek to understand the processes court staff have in place to keep their websites updated and the challenges they face.
Collaborators: Ellen Reed (Tyler Tech)
Supporters: Washington State Courts Court Recovery Taskforce