Get Involved
This site is a project of the Institute for Police Conduct, Inc. — but it can't survive on one organization alone. The access-to-justice gap in § 1983 litigation is too wide for any single effort to close. We need people who've been through it, people who understand the law, and people who want to help.
Write
We're looking for contributors who can write from experience — not theory. If you've litigated a § 1983 case (pro se or as counsel), you know things that aren't in any textbook. What worked. What didn't. What you wish someone had told you before you filed.
Articles don't need to be long or polished. They need to be honest and useful. We'll help with editing.
- Pro se plaintiffs — Your experience is the whole point of this site. Write about what you learned.
- Civil rights attorneys — Explain the things pro se litigants get wrong. Demystify procedure. You don't have to take their cases to help them survive.
- Law students & clerks — Research and write about qualified immunity trends, circuit splits, or procedural traps in your jurisdiction.
Review
Every case cited on this site should be real, every docket number verified, every legal claim accurate. If you're an attorney or legal researcher willing to review articles before publication, we need you. Pro se litigants deserve the same rigor that paying clients get.
Partner
If you run a legal aid organization, civil rights nonprofit, law school clinic, or bar association pro bono program, let's talk. We can cross-link resources, co-publish guides, or build tools together.
Current partners:
- policeconduct.org — public police interaction reporting platform
- r/Section1983_pro_se — community for pro se civil rights litigants
Build
This site is open source. If you're a developer and want to contribute code, improve accessibility, or help build tools for pro se litigants (complaint builders, deadline calculators, citation checkers), the work is waiting.
Volunteer
IPC runs on volunteers. Beyond writing and reviewing, there's outreach, research, data work, media, and community moderation. If you have time but aren't sure where you fit, see our volunteer page for current roles across all IPC projects.
Fund
The Institute for Police Conduct, Inc. is a nonprofit. Server costs, PACER fees, CourtListener API access, and development time all cost money. If you can't contribute time, consider making a donation.
Contact
Reach us at hello@section1983.org or join the conversation on r/Section1983_pro_se.
Have corrections or want to suggest a change? Let us know ↗