CABS

Legal Systems

Legal systems determine the fates of millions of low-income families every day.

CABS’s work in legal systems like child support and criminal justice takes many forms. Working teams of researchers and practitioners use data to identify problems and inform solutions. Perspectives from parents and staff members are combined with administrative and outcomes data to provide a comprehensive understanding of judicial operations and opportunities to intervene. The team then pulls insights from the field of behavioral science to identify common reasons individuals' intentions do not translate into action. CABS will either design and test a behavioral solution or conduct workshops to help institutions define and address the identified barriers. Ultimately, evidence-based methods are employed to build institutions' capabilities and create opportunity for low-income families.

Brief
Case Study: Child Support

Engaging individuals in the child support process

We partnered with child support offices to improve a critical letter that was sent to individuals who were supposed to be served with a legal notice to review their child support obligations.