Terms of Service

Last updated: September 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of Justice Lens, a publication operated by Specta LLC ("we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using Justice Lens ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. What the Service is

Justice Lens publishes statistical analyses of public records released by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of Washington, D.C. through DC Open Data and, for assault victims, MPD's reports as published by the FBI, together with monthly neighborhood briefs summarizing reported incidents. Every figure is computed from those public records by published code using the methods described on each page and on the methodology page; no generative AI is involved in producing them. The Service is informational and research material. It is not legal advice, not law-enforcement guidance, and not a statement about any individual person or officer.

2. Cost

The Service is free, and nothing on it is gated by an account or a plan. The paid plans and paid reports that earlier versions of the site sold were discontinued in 2026; if you still hold a subscription from that time it grants nothing, and we will cancel it on request. You may make a voluntary donation through a payment page hosted by Stripe; a donation buys nothing, unlocks nothing, and is not refundable. Card details entered on that page are handled by Stripe under its own terms and never reach our servers.

3. Accounts

An account is optional and unlocks nothing: the Service reads the same signed in or out. Accounts exist because earlier versions of the site required them. If you keep or create one, you agree to provide accurate information and to keep your credentials secure. Accounts are managed by Clerk under its own terms.

4. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account or subscribe to email briefs.

5. Acceptable use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes. You may not:

• Use the Service to harass, threaten, or harm any individual or group
• Use data or findings from the Service to target, surveil, or discriminate against any person
• Use the Service or any of its output for tenant screening, housing eligibility, employment, credit, insurance, lending, or any other decision about an individual person's eligibility, access, pricing, or terms
• Use the Service as a consumer report or for any purpose regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, fair housing laws, employment laws, credit laws, or insurance eligibility rules
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically download the Service without written permission
• Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or interfere with the Service or its infrastructure
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity

6. Quoting and citing

You may quote and cite the analyses, with attribution to Justice Lens and a link to the page cited. Each analysis page states its data window, sample size, exclusions, and method; a citation that omits those is not a fair representation of the finding.

7. Data accuracy

Underlying records are sourced from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of Washington, D.C. via DC Open Data and from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. These records are:

• Preliminary and subject to revision by the publishing agency
• Not guaranteed to be complete, accurate, or current
• Not suitable as the sole basis for any legal, safety, business, or personal decision

Justice Lens makes no representation about the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the underlying records. The analyses report what the records show against stated baselines; they do not establish cause, intent, or the conduct of any individual.

8. No affiliation

Justice Lens is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or operated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the District of Columbia government, or any other government agency.

9. Intellectual property

The writing, design, code, and trademarks comprising the Service (excluding publicly sourced government data) are the property of Specta LLC and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Quoting with attribution under Section 6 is permitted; wholesale reproduction of the Service is not.

10. Third-party services

The Service is hosted on Railway and uses Clerk (optional accounts), Resend (email delivery for the monthly briefs), Stripe (the donation page), and Sentry (error reporting). Your use of those providers is governed by their own terms.

11. Termination

We may suspend or terminate an account or an email subscription at any time, with or without notice, if we believe these Terms have been violated or the Service is being misused.

12. Disclaimer of warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement.

13. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Specta LLC and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or relating to your use of the Service. Specta LLC's total aggregate liability for any claim arising out of the Service shall not exceed one hundred dollars ($100).

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Specta LLC and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of your use of the Service or your violation of these Terms.

15. Dispute resolution

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved exclusively through binding arbitration in Washington, DC, under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, except that either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm.

16. Class action waiver

You waive any right to bring or participate in any class action, collective action, or representative proceeding against Specta LLC. All claims must be brought individually.

17. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable or invalid, it will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining Terms stay in full force.

19. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms at any time and will change the "Last updated" date above when we do. Continued use of the Service after a change constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Questions: [email protected]