ALC Court Watch relies on public engagement in our work to be effective. If you’re interested in helping to bring accountability, equity, and true justice to our court system, we would love to have you involved as an intern or volunteer.
Please click the arrows to learn more about each option:
Internships
ALC Court Watch accepts applications on a rolling basis for credited and volunteer court watch internships.
The Court Watch intern program is available for college or high school* semesters in 2025. Student interns will receive valuable experience observing and documenting court proceedings. Moreover, interns can work towards a culminating project that highlights their particular area of interest.
Our courts stand at the center of the criminal legal system. Court watch interns will get direct experience seeing how Allegheny County courts operate and handle people charged with crimes in several levels of the court system. Volunteer interns are instrumental in spotting inequities and other flaws and weak spots in the system, and work with our team to strategize about how to expose those problems and advocate for remedies. By attending, observing, and documenting details in court proceedings court watch volunteers interrupt the status quo of the criminal legal system and help highlight the ways courts perpetrate the U.S. carceral state’s apartheid system of punishment.
Please send a letter of interest and resume to our volunteer coordinator Airi Tilley at airi@alcenter.org.
*High school internships will require certain provisions, including a signed permission letter from a guardian.
Statistics show that people from structurally marginalized communities are less likely to apply if they feel they do not meet 100% of the requirements. If you have a strong feeling in your gut about this position, no matter who you are, we strongly encourage your application.
Volunteers
We are actively building our volunteer base!
We hold orientations for virtual court watching once a month. You’ll learn about what a court watch program is and best practices for courtroom observation, data collection, and meaningful public reporting. Attending these is the best way to get started.
Throughout the year, we hold informational sessions for our court watch community members. These help educate and increase transparency of the current court systems. Our past classes include youth, justice-related hearings, bail, dockets, and public defense.
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming an ALC court watcher or participating in any way, please contact us.
Interested in an internship?
Please send a letter of interest and resume to volunteer coordinator Airi Tilley.
- EMAIL: Airi@alccourtwatch.org
Interested in volunteering?
You can register online for one of our monthly online orientations and for our court watching sessions.
- SIGN-UP: mobilize.us/alccourtwatch