Our mission is to
Streamline reentry and diversion to reduce recidivism and advance criminal justice reform.
The Accountability Project is a proud partner of Goodwill industries
The Accountability Project offers solutions that gives courts more knowledge so they can effectively support individuals after sentencing or before they are charged, allowing for a successful reentry into society.
The Accountability Project was founded by a former Philadelphia criminal court judge who knows that judges are more likely to try alternatives like diversion and reentry review when there is real-time accountability. And studies show that when people complete a court-assigned program, the sense of accomplishment has real impact and lower recidivism rates are possible.
That’s why we created an app that keeps track in real time of people’s attendance to judge assigned drug therapy, behavioral therapy, and other mind reset programs. We are providing the tools and offering a pathway to successful reentry.
We envision a criminal justice system that supports successful reentry every step of the way through coordination and care.
Reentry is a marathon, not a sprint. Individuals just released from prison need to be supported by different stakeholders who build trust with the individual and with each other in order to successfully cross the finish line. That’s why we are working to establish best practices from the beginning—so that recently released individuals have the support they need from the start.
What we value
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Equity
Everyone, no matter their circumstances, deserves the opportunity to start over.
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Trust
Reentry is more likely to be successful if there is trust throughout the system.
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Accountability
Recently released individuals and those enrolled in diversion programs are more likely to show up for themselves and others when there is someone holding them accountable.
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Safety
Treatment dropout decreases the likelihood of successful reentry and increases the likelihood of repeated criminal behavior and recidivism. We want everyone to feel safe in their communities.
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Coordinated care
Successful reentry doesn’t happen in a vacuum. There are many stakeholders who play a role in helping an individual reenter and reacclimate into society.
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Partnership
We work with and seek partners across the criminal justice system who share our desire to support a second chance for those who want it.
Our story
The Accountability Project was founded in 2021 to address necessary reforms in the criminal justice system. Individuals who were released from prison, or juveniles in diversion programs, had no accountability and therefore no external pressure, other than potential incarceration, to attend their court mandated drug treatment or diversion programs. Too often, many addicts would drop-out of a program, relapse, and be discharged by the provider—all before a judge who wants to help would even know. With related risks of overdosing or re-offending, the cycle back to crime and jail was predictable.
There was a gap—unreliable paper attendance sheets and isolated electronic systems made it difficult for courts to intervene early and positively when an individual was discharged due to lack of attendance.
Judges grew frustrated and skeptical. Families became despondent.
Beginning in 2015 our founder—a judge with years of experience in the criminal courts in Pennsylvania’s First Judicial District—led a pilot project in the courts called PREATS (Prisoner Reentry Enhanced Accountability Testing System) to test ways to report treatment program attendance in real time. Using fingerprint technology and working with a variety of stakeholders including Philadelphia’s Adult Probation and Parole Department, PREATS successfully monitored defendants’ attendance in real time, holding them accountable to promises to attend treatment without resorting to re-incarceration. Probation officers reported increased program completion rates as well as trust across the system.
In 2020, COVID provided an opportunity for the judge to revisit the monitoring process, at which point they moved from fingerprint technology to using a real-time QR-based system.
In 2021, The Accountability Project was created and its ACET Checkin system was implemented.
Today, The Accountability Project is exploring real time accountability for supervisory use beyond drug treatment in other contexts like community service and house arrest. The team consists of legal, social work, and medical professionals who, together, have deep expertise in criminal justice and drug rehabilitation. They know about the cycle of reincarceration because they have seen it time and time again. They do not want someone who was just released from prison to be another statistic. They are committed to employing best practices by keeping people in treatment through prompt intervention without incarceration.
Meet our people.
OUR STAFF
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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ACET Checkin
The ACET Checkin System (ACET) is a real-time QR Code attendance system that reports missed and incomplete sessions directly to court. The objective is to reduce time lag between an offender’s absence from treatment programs and a case manager’s or court’s ability to intervene without re-incarceration and/or VOP hearings.
For judges
When a judge mandates drug treatment for an individual getting released from prison, they have to employ trust. Hoping that the person shows up, puts in the work, and wants to successfully reenter society. Unfortunately, the current system of paper attendance sheets and isolated electronic systems makes it difficult track how an individual is progressing, and creates a lack of accountability that often results in premature discharges from programs and undetected relapses.
ACET Checkin gives judges the real-time assurance and trust they need that individuals are attending designated programs. It helps judges engage constructively during reviews when they see gaps, and it gives judges the option to authorize early intervention with an Accountability Project or court social worker to catch relapse and reduce overdose risk. Accurate and verified attendance records assure judicial confidence that individuals are where they are supposed to be and trying.
For the system
Accurate attendance is not only useful in monitoring treatment program attendance. It is useful for countless programs and dozens of different providers all across the country. From community service for diversion, job training, GED classes, and drug treatment—these uses are all about successful reentry and diversion, and can help to transform the criminal justice system.