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 Court monitoring makes a difference

Please remember WATCH in your year-end donations. Your gift will help us:

Get guns out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers
Ensure violent defendants receive appropriate sentences
Improve security at MN courhouses

See this short video for why Kyle volunteers and donates to WATCH. THANK YOU.

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

Since 1993, WATCH has trained 760 volunteers who have donated 35,270 hours and monitored over 64,400 hearings.

Every day trained WATCH volunteers observe court and report on what they see. WATCH follows up with court staff and committees to recommend improvements. Our experience shows that when the public is present in court, everyone does a better job.

  • WATCH was founded in 1992 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Trained WATCH volunteers monitor over 5,000 hearings each year in several Hennepin County courts
  • Court personnel and advocates for women agree that public scrutiny of the courts leads to improvements
  • WATCH trains court monitoring groups cross the U. S. with manuals, site visits, and web-based training

WATCH is committed to ending racial, cultural, and gender bias in the courts and to reflecting that commitment at all levels of our organization.

To see a snapshot of WATCH's history, mission, and accomplishments click to view an 8-minute video.

CONTACT US: 612-341-2747; watch@watchmn.org; 608 Second Ave. South, Suite 465, Minneapolis, MN 55402

 Read the latest WATCHPost newsletter.

Child protection cases examined

WATCH's CHIPS project examined 129 Hennepin County child protection cases from start to permanency. Click on a link below to read these ground breaking reports.

Reasonable Efforts or Unrealistic Expectations: A Look at Hennepin County Child Protection

The Role of the Guardian ad Litem in Child Protection Cases

Would you like a WATCH staff person to present our findings to your organization? Contact us.