This is a unique volunteer opportunity! Please read the information below thoroughly.
We currently need volunteers to monitor protective order hearings in Rockville or Silver Spring District Court for the morning sessions (8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.) on weekdays. You will always attend court with at least one other person and meet after the court session to ensure that you and your co-monitor have recorded the same factual information. If there are discrepancies, you will resolve those and adjust your forms before leaving the courthouse. This step is critical to the accuracy of our data and is not optional.
Volunteers should be available to come to court at least twice a month for a minimum of a year due to the learning curve and training involved.
Please note that court monitors collect data on physical paper forms (no electronics are allowed in the courtroom), scan them via a phone app or an actual scanner, and email them to our Data Analyst & Manager for review. We seek court monitors who:
- Have excellent observation skills and attention to detail
- Commit to completing all stages of training
- Will read and follow instructions for data collection (and continue to reference instructions over time), thus submitting forms that are complete and accurate
- Have handwriting that is legible enough for our data entry volunteers to read the valuable data you collect
- Are willing to receive feedback and incorporate that feedback into future monitoring sessions, demonstrating improvement over time
- Are willing to learn and set aside existing assumptions about the parties in the cases to collect data objectively
- Commit to attending court at least twice a month for a year
Existing knowledge of law, the court system, criminology, or domestic violence is not required. We are here to support you! You will be provided with thorough training that includes:
- Observing a monitoring session with established monitors
- Attending a virtual training session about the court process and intimate partner violence (IPV)
- Attending an in-person training session about completing the data collection form
- Monitoring your first court session with our Data Analyst & Manager
Inclusivity statement: Court Watch strives to be a respectful and inclusive organization. All applicants who are able to complete all parts of training and fulfill the requirements of the court monitor role described in this posting (including submitting complete and accurate forms according to the instructions) will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, education, employment, or other characteristics. Volunteers are expected to conform to our culture of inclusion when in court and when attending organizational events.
To submit an application: courtwatchmontgomery.org/volunteer/
Not approved for MCPS SSL hours.
