Center for Science and Law

Advancing Justice

aka SciLaw   |   Houston, TX   |  www.scilaw.org

Mission

The Center for Science and Law is an independent 501(3)(c) nonprofit, and a leader in the fields of neurolaw and data science. We harness neuroscience, law, ethics, programming, and data science to analyze policies and develop technologies to advance the criminal justice system. Our goal is to steer social policy in an evidenced-based manner, thereby reducing rates of incarceration and providing innovative options for improving the criminal justice system in a cost effective and humane way.

Ruling year info

2016

Founder, Executive Director

David Eagleman PhD

COO

Sasha Davenport

Main address

P.O. Box 66061

Houston, TX 77006 USA

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EIN

47-5438327

NTEE code info

(Law, International Law, and Jurisprudence) (V26)

Single Organization Support (I11)

Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis (I05)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Let's End Unjust Arrests

The Center for Science & Law has built mobile software that takes racial bias out of arrest decisions. We stop discrimination and injustice before the police officer books an arrest by taking any race information out of the arrest & intake decision. With our Intake system, whether someone is arrested or not is a matter of the facts and the law, instead of being left to the sole discretion of an officer who can have a range of emotions or prejudices.The effect is a colorblind arrest or release decision. When an arrest is made, it is based on law, not bias.

Current arrest procedures are flawed and dangerous
Police have the power to arrest anyone they suspect of wrongdoing. The arrest is booked, and the person is taken immediately to jail. It may take days or weeks before a prosecutor sees the case in court and decides if it’s a case that can be prosecuted. However, according to research, up to 40% of unjust arrests are dropped by prosecutors in court for not meeting the facts of the law. It’s a waste of time, money, and lives.

The SciLaw Intake System
Before every arrest is booked, the officer must call a prosecutor who decides if the arrest will meet legal standards. Typically, this is a 3 minute call about the facts that may or may not lead to an arrest. The prosecutor does not know the age, gender, or race of the person in question. If the facts support the charge, only then is the person arrested and brought into jail. This is a proven system used for almost 50 years, and it just may be the biggest game changer in criminal justice.

Help us stop unjust arrests
For every $25,000 raised, we can partner with a District Attorney and launch this program in a new county. scilaw.org/support

More broadly, we care about designing legislation that works. To that end, we have built the nation’s largest database of criminal justice records -- from arrest to court disposition -- ranging from 1977 to present. This gives us the ability to determine legislative efficacy. That is, when a new law is passed, does it do what it’s supposed to? Does it drive crime down, or does it have little or negative effect, or does it shift crime to a different category? Many laws are passed in moments of high emotion; sometimes they work, while other times laws generated from a careful analysis of data are more effective. With our massive database, for the first time, we’re able to quantify and assess what works. This gives researchers and policy makers an evidence-based tool for crafting legislation.
scilaw.org/crime-big-data

Population(s) Served
Incarcerated people
Ethnic and racial groups

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Financials

Center for Science and Law
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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Center for Science and Law

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Dr. David Eagleman

Center for Science & Law

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 4/19/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

No data

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

Transgender Identity

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 06/16/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.