CIVIL JUSTICE FOR ALL
STORY MAP
Justice for All is a value that our society holds dear. But in the civil (noncriminal) justice system, you do not have a right to an attorney if you cannot afford one, so you can lose your kids, home or freedom - not because you did anything wrong, but because you did not get the legal information or help you needed.
The civil justice system deals with the legal aspects of many life-altering issues, like housing, child custody or abuse. Vulnerable Marylanders, particularly those with low incomes and those in communities of color, are disproportionately involved with the civil justice system, often without legal representation. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified these Marylanders’ vulnerabilities, as well as their involvement with the civil justice system.
The lack of civil justice data is a barrier to civil justice for all. As it stands now, data related to the civil justice system is hard to come by and not publicly available. This prevents data-informed policy-making, which is especially dangerous when so many Marylanders have been forced into the civil justice system due to COVID-19.
To begin to solve this problem, the Maryland Access to Justice Commission has created this first-of-its-kind "Civil Justice for All Story Map." The Story Map is a multimedia, interactive data and story tool explains the civil justice system, those most entangled in it and the barriers they face. The tool combines stories and statistics and features interactive maps that allow you to search for and compare county-specific civil justice and demographic data on the most prevalent types of civil justice issues, including unemployment, eviction and more. The tool also includes pre and post COVID-19 data and trends.
We are excited to release version 2.0 of the Civil Justice for All Story Map. Version 2.0 has all the features of the original Story Map, but has updated information and the ability to span years of data.
The Story Map is a public resource created by the Maryland Access to Justice Commission (A2JC) with initial support from the Abell Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA).
We encourage broad use of the tool, with appropriate attribution to A2JC.
The Civil Justice for All Story Map allows you to search and compare county-specific data.
The civil justice system includes federal and state court and administrative actions, so the tool provides state-wide data for many types of civil legal justice related issues.
You can see county-specific data, when you hover over a county.
You can select the statistics you want to see data on the map by choosing different data options on the left.