Know Your Rights Chatbot

We built a backend rights-awareness program designed to help people from minority communities understand their rights during law enforcement encounters, using verified sources and ethical guardrails

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Inspiration

Our inspiration came from the increase of ICE arrests and the violation of rights that comes from it.

What it does

Our project is a stateful, option-based chatbot that provides users with plain-language explanations of their rights in police and ICE encounters. Users can navigate multiple scenarios through a series of guided questions, and after each interaction, the chatbot offers support resources such as legal aid contacts and civil rights organizations. The backend is built in Python and can later be adapted to websites or apps, ensuring broad accessibility.

How we built it

We structured the chatbot around a Python state machine to track scenarios and user choices, ensuring a multi-turn conversation flow. Each scenario is backed by verified information from trusted civil rights and legal resources. Finally, we added a support menu to guide users toward practical next steps.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge was ensuring that our chatbot provides accurate information without overstepping into legal advice. We solved this by including disclaimers, limiting answers to vetted content, and directing users to official resources. Another challenge was maintaining a smooth multi-turn conversation in Python while keeping the interface simple enough for a hackathon demo.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Having time to add some features to our chatbot to make it better.

What we learned

Through this project, we gained experience in designing ethical AI tools that balance accessibility with legal safety. We learned how to manage multi-turn conversations in Python, structure option-based flows, and integrate optional support resources responsibly. We also deepened our understanding of the social impact of technology and how even a simple backend system can provide real-world value.

What's next for Know Your Rights Chatbot

The next step for the Know Your Rights Chatbot is to expand its reach and impact, making civil rights information accessible to more people. We envision adapting it for web platforms and apps so that access isn’t limited by technology. Beyond technical improvements, the goal is to promote social change by reducing fear and misinformation during law enforcement encounters, empowering users to understand and exercise their rights, and connecting them to trusted support resources. Ultimately, we hope the chatbot becomes a scalable, community-driven tool that strengthens civic knowledge, fosters safety, and contributes to a more informed and equitable society.

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