This Web Site (“Web Site”) is operated by The Vera Institute of Justice's Family Justice Program, with offices at 233 Broadway, 12th floor, New York, New York 10279 (“Family Justice”). Family Justice is also referred to in this Privacy Policy as “we,” “us,” “our,” or other similar pronouns.
This Privacy Policy governs your use of the Web Site, and explains, in general, what Personal Information and other information is collected on our Web Site, how the information is used, and with whom we may share such information. By visiting this Web Site, and/or by using the services offered on or through this Web Site, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy as they may be amended from time to time. As we update and expand our services, this Privacy Policy may change, so check back to this page. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into, and made a part of, the Web Site Terms of Use, which also governs your use of this Web Site in general. This Privacy Policy shall be interpreted under the laws of the United States.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to information that you may provide to us, or that we may obtain, other than through our Web Site, such as by phone, through postal mail and through other live and print media.
Purpose
Your privacy is important to us. In order to make your visits to our Web Site and use of the services available on our Web Site as worthwhile as possible, we may ask you for Personal Information and we may collect Web Site Usage Information (as described below) from your computer when you visit our Web Site. [“Personal Information” includes, for example, your name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, demographic information and/or other information that may identify you as an individual or allow online or offline contact with you as an individual.
User-Provided Information
We collect Personal Information from users of our Web Site in various ways. Such information may be collected, for example, when users register for accounts or features on our Web Site, engage in certain activities on the Web Site, complete surveys and other online forms, contribute to a chat room, message board, list serve, blog, wiki or other similar open forum on a community area on or through our Web Site, submit a comment, question or any other information or content to us using a “contact us,” or similar feature on our Web Site, send us an e-mail, or in any other way submit Personal Information to us via our Web Site.
Web Site Usage Information
Cookies
We may use “cookies” to keep, and sometimes track, information about you. Cookies are small data files that are sent to your browser or related software from a Web server and stored on your computer’s hard drive. Cookies track where you travel and what you view on our Web Site. They also may store your username and/or password, and may enable us to relate your use of our Web Site to other information about you, including your Personal Information. All of these purposes serve to improve and personalize your experience on our Web Site. Most Web browsers can be set to inform you when a cookie has been sent to you and provide you with the opportunity to refuse that cookie. However, refusing a cookie may, in some cases, preclude you from using, or negatively impact the display or function of, the Web Site or certain areas or features of the Web Site.
Clear GIFs
We may use “clear GIFs” (aka “Web beacons” or “pixel tags”) or similar technologies, in the Web Site and/or in our communications with you to enable us to know whether you have visited a Web page or received a message. A clear GIF is typically a one-pixel, transparent image (although it can be a visible image as well), located on a Web page or in an e-mail or other type of message, which is retrieved from a remote site on the Internet enabling the verification of an individual’s viewing or receipt of a Web page or message. A clear GIF may enable us to relate your viewing or receipt of a Web page or message to other information about you, including your Personal Information.
IP Address and Clickstream Data
Our server automatically collects data about your server’s Internet address when you visit our Web Site. When you request pages from our Web Site, our servers may log your IP Address and sometimes your domain name. Our server may also record the referring page that linked you to us (e.g., another Web site or a search engine); the pages you visit on this Web Site; the Web site you visit after this Web Site; the ads you see and/or click on; other information about the type of Web browser, computer, platform, related software and settings you are using; any search terms you have entered on this Web Site or a referral site; and other Web usage activity and data logged by our Web servers. We use this information for internal system administration, to help diagnose problems with our server, and to administer our Web Site. Such information may also be used to gather broad demographic information, such as country of origin and Internet Service Provider. We may also link this information with your Personal Information.
Any or all of these activities with regard to Web Site Usage Information may be performed on our behalf by our services providers.
How is the Personal Information used?
We will use the Personal Information you provide to us, for example, to respond to your requests and inquiries, to provide you with our various services, and to contact you in connection with your relationship, activities, transactions and communications with us. We may also use your Personal Information to maintain our internal record keeping. We may match information collected from you through different means or at different times, including both Personal Information and Web Site Usage Information, and use such information along with information obtained from other sources, including third parties. In addition, we may send you notices (for example, in the form of e-mails, mailings, and the like), and otherwise correspond with you, about products, services, companies and events, sponsored by us and others, that we think might interest you. You may opt out of Family Justice’s promotional e-mails by clicking on an opt-out link within the e-mail you receive.
We may analyze user behavior as a measure of interest in, and use of, our Web Site and e-mails, both on an individual basis and in the aggregate.
Updating Personal Information
Users may update the Personal Information provided to us by sending updated Personal Information to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Project-Specific Areas
Some of our users may have access to certain areas accessible via the Web Site that require the users to log in with a username and password. When you access and contribute to such an area of our Web Site, the information that you submit may be made available to other users who have similar access rights to such areas of the Web Site. For this reason, we recommend that you do not submit any sensitive information, including your full name, home address, phone number, other information that would enable other users to locate you, or financial information on these areas of our Web Site. Instead, make up a username that does not disclose your personal identity.
Service Providers
We may use third-party partners to help operate our Web Site and deliver our products and services, and may share your information with our affiliates, service providers and other third parties that provide products or services for or through this Web Site or for our business (such as Web site or database hosting companies, address list hosting companies, e-mail service providers, analytics companies, distribution companies, fulfillment companies, and other similar service providers that use such information on our behalf).
Aggregate Statistics
We may disclose aggregate statistics regarding user behavior as a measure of interest in, and use of, our Web Site and e-mails to third parties in the form of aggregate data, such as overall patterns or demographic reports that do not describe or identify any individual user.
Legally Compelled Disclosures
We may disclose user information to government authorities, and to other third parties when compelled to do so by government authorities, at our discretion, or otherwise as required or permitted by law, including, but not limited to, in response to court orders and subpoenas. We also may disclose user information when we have reason to believe that someone is causing injury to or interference with our rights or property, other users of the Web Site, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities.
Business Transfer
In the event that Family Justice, or substantially all of its assets, are acquired by one or more third parties as a result of an acquisition, merger, sale, reorganization, consolidation or liquidation, Personal Information may be one of the transferred assets.
Security
While Family Justice will endeavor to protect the security and integrity of sensitive Personal Information provided to this Web Site, due to the inherent nature of the Internet as an open global communications vehicle, we cannot guarantee that information, during transmission through the Internet or while stored on our system or otherwise in our care, will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others, such as hackers.
If you contact us by e-mail or a “contact us,” “drop box” or similar feature on our Web Site, you should be aware that your transmission might not be secure. A third party could view information you send by these methods in transit.
You may be able to create an account on our Web Site with a username and password. If so, you are responsible for maintaining the strict confidentiality of your account password, and you shall be responsible for any access to or use of the Web Site by you or any person or entity using your password, whether or not such access or use has been authorized by or on behalf of you, and whether or not such person or entity is your employee or agent. You agree to immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security. We will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this provision.
We will have no liability for disclosure of your information due to errors or unauthorized acts of third parties during or after transmission.
In the unlikely event that we believe that the security of your Personal Information in our possession or control may have been compromised, we may seek to notify you of that development. If a notification is appropriate, we would endeavor to do so as promptly as possible under the circumstances, and, to the extent we have your e-mail address, we may notify you by e-mail. You consent to our use of e-mail as a means of such notification. If you prefer for us to use another method to notify you in this situation, please e-mail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the alternative contact information you wish to be used.
Consent to Processing; Transfer of Your Data Abroad
By providing Personal Information to this Web Site, you understand and consent to the collection, maintenance, processing and transfer of such information in and to the United States and other countries and territories, where it will be processed and protected in accordance with United States law, which may not provide the same level of protection as legally required in your country.
Third-Party “Linked-To” Web Sites
When you are on our Web Site you may have the opportunity to visit, or link to, other sites not operated by Family Justice. These sites may collect Personal Information about you. We do not control sites that are operated by these entities and is not responsible for the information practices of these sites. This Privacy Policy does not address the information practices of those other Web sites.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to change or update this Privacy Policy, or any other of our policies or practices, at any time, and will notify users of this Web Site by posting such changed or updated Privacy Policy on this page. Any changes or updates will be effective immediately upon posting to this Web Site. Under certain circumstances, we may also elect to notify you of changes or updates to our Privacy Policy by additional means, such as posting a notice on the front page of our Web Site to sending you an e-mail.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or comments regarding our privacy practices, you may contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Effective Date: September 2, 2008.