CourtWatch Provo, an extension of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA), is a data-driven pilot program which launched on April 1, 2019. Utah’s rates of domestic violence are higher than the national average, rape is the only violent crime in Utah higher than the national average, and intimate partner violence is involved in a majority of our state’s homicides. Utah leads the nation in rates of childhood sexual abuse. CourtWatch arose out of a desire to to increase transparency and trust between the public and the judiciary as well as awareness and understanding in the community around domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. We do not engage in direct victim services, but target the larger institution of the criminal justice system and use court observation and data collection as a vehicle to involve community members.
At CourtWatch, we train volunteers to observe and collect data on court proceedings at the 4th District Court in Provo dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. We host regular, public conversations on topics like Empathy, Power in Relationships, Trauma, and Release and Recidivism to engage community members and foster understanding for those involved in these crimes.
