Structure Impact Area
Shaping the law, when knowing and using the law is not enough.
Innovations that advance access to justice can only succeed if the laws on which legal structures are built permit the innovation. For example: a person experiencing medical debt may be able to get legal help (service), and may be able to utilize court resources (system), but if the medical debt laws in their jurisdiction do not afford them adequate legal protection, those service and system improvements cannot be effective: structural change is needed.
Building tools for policy advocates
Policy advocates work to change laws to advance rights and protections for under-represented populations. But every state has its own laws and policies, which may exist across multiple sources. For policy advocates, particularly advocates in under-resourced communities, locating the laws of their state and of other states can be challenging and time consuming. In addition, policy change requires robust data collection and aggregation, within and across jurisdictions. Policy advocates may have limited resources to locate and source data that supports the needs for policy change. i4J is uniquely positioned as a design hub with the capacity to aggregate large sets of law and data and build helpful tools to assist policy advocates in their mission to address social justice problems. i4J works within the community to provide policy advocates with data and model policies that can be used to unlock change.
“Innovation requires deep knowledge and a fresh set of eyes.”
— Gillian Hadfield, Rules for a Flat World
Centering the voices of lived-experience experts in policy change
The legal system in the United States was built by lawyers for lawyers. Legal policy that affects everyone is created by decision-makers in positions of power, such as judges, attorneys, and legislators. Too often, the voices of the people experiencing the legal problem are not included or considered when policies are created. i4J seeks to shape the policy-making process by centering the voices of lived experience experts and diverse system actors.
i4J’s tools for policy advocates
i4J has been a leading resource for developing tools to empower policy advocates to champion change in their jurisdictions. These projects include:
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Cost of Eviction Calculator
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Medical Debt Scorecard
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Domestic Violence Advocacy UPL Toolkit
Structure Impact Area Publications & Reports
i4J's Structure Impact Area produces deliverables to empower policy advocates to advance access to justice through data-driven law reform. These tools are supported by reports and publications to further support policy advocacy. See our Articles and Reports page for more information.