Our Commitment to an Accessible Web
recentarrests.org/ targets WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance and aligns with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Section 508, and the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) framework — so anyone researching arrest records, jail rosters, mugshots, or court information can use the site fully.
Our Standard
We design and build recentarrests.org/ to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard referenced by the U.S. Department of Justice in its ADA Title III enforcement, by federal agencies under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), and by most state and municipal accessibility laws.
The four WCAG principles guide every editorial and design decision:
- Perceivable — information and user-interface components must be presentable in ways the reader can perceive
- Operable — UI components and navigation must be operable, including by keyboard
- Understandable — information and operation of the UI must be understandable
- Robust — content must be robust enough to be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies
Legal and Regulatory Framework
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Americans with Disabilities Act Title III (42 U.S.C. § 12181 et seq.) | Public accommodations, including websites operated by private entities, must be accessible to people with disabilities |
| Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794) | Programs receiving federal financial assistance must be accessible |
| Section 508 (29 U.S.C. § 794d) and the 2017 Section 508 Refresh | Federal agency electronic and information technology must conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA (the 508 standard incorporates WCAG by reference) |
| 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) | FCC framework for accessibility of communications and video programming |
| WCAG 2.1 Level AA | Our voluntary conformance target — used by DOJ in ADA enforcement |
| State and local accessibility laws | Many states (e.g., California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, New York’s Human Rights Law) have parallel accessibility requirements |
Accessibility Features We Implement
Keyboard navigation
Every interactive element is reachable and operable using only a keyboard.
Visible focus
Focused links and controls are clearly visible.
17px+ body text
Body text meets minimum-readability standards.
Color contrast
Text and interactive elements meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast minimums (4.5:1 normal, 3:1 large).
Semantic markup
Headings, lists, tables, and landmarks are marked up with appropriate HTML so assistive technologies parse the structure correctly.
Alternative text
Meaningful images have alt text; decorative images are marked appropriately.
Form labels
All form controls have programmatically associated labels.
Responsive layout
Layout reflows at small viewport widths and at 200% zoom without loss of content or function.
46px touch targets
Tap targets meet minimum-size guidance for touch and motor-accessibility.
Page language declared
The page’s language attribute is set so screen readers select the right voice.
Descriptive link text
Links are written so the destination is meaningful out of context (no “click here”).
No motion-induced harm
No content flashes more than three times per second; no auto-playing media.
Assistive Technology Compatibility
We test against current versions of the major assistive technologies on common browsers:
| Assistive technology | Platform | Tested with |
|---|---|---|
| NVDA | Windows | Chrome, Firefox, Edge |
| JAWS | Windows | Chrome, Edge |
| VoiceOver | macOS, iOS | Safari (primary), Chrome |
| TalkBack | Android | Chrome (primary) |
| Narrator | Windows | Edge |
| Browser zoom & magnifiers | All | 200% browser zoom; Windows Magnifier; macOS Zoom; ZoomText |
| Voice input | All | Dragon NaturallySpeaking; Voice Access; Voice Control |
| Switch control | iOS, macOS, Android | Single-switch and two-switch configurations |
Supported Browsers
We test against the current and immediately previous major versions of:
- Google Chrome (Windows, macOS, Android)
- Mozilla Firefox (Windows, macOS, Android)
- Apple Safari (macOS, iOS, iPadOS)
- Microsoft Edge (Windows)
- Brave (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS)
- Samsung Internet (Android)
Older browsers may not support every modern web feature. Where this is the case, content remains readable but some interactive enhancements may be unavailable.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move forward through links and controls | Tab |
| Move backward through links and controls | Shift + Tab |
| Activate a link or button | Enter (links and buttons) / Space (buttons) |
| Open menus and dropdowns | Enter or Space |
| Close menus and dropdowns | Esc |
| Find on page | Ctrl + F (Win/Linux) / ⌘ + F (macOS) |
| Increase or decrease zoom | Ctrl + + / − (Win/Linux) / ⌘ + + / − (macOS) |
Known Limitations
recentarrests.org/ links extensively to sheriff's-office jail-roster portals, state DOC inmate locators, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, PACER, and state court systems. We have no control over the accessibility of those external sites. Their accessibility may not match the standard we apply to our own pages — many older agency portals predate WCAG 2.1 AA. If you encounter an accessibility barrier on an agency portal we link to, contact the agency directly; for federal agencies, the Section 508 framework applies and you may also escalate to the DOJ or the U.S. Access Board.
- Some government PDFs that we link to (court orders, sentencing documents, CRS reports) are scanned images rather than text-tagged accessible PDFs. Where we have a tagged or HTML version, we link to that instead.
- Where we embed third-party tools (mapping, embedded form controls), the accessibility of those embeds depends on the upstream provider.
- Older content created before our current accessibility standard was adopted may not yet match every Level AA criterion. We are remediating older pages on a rolling basis.
Alternative Formats
If you need information from a page in an alternative format — large print, structured plain text, accessible PDF, or another format — email info@recentarrests.org with subject “Alternative format request.” Include the page URL and the format you need. We respond within 5 business days.
How We Test
Our process combines automated and manual checks:
- Automated tools — axe by Deque, WAVE, Lighthouse, Pa11y on every published page
- Manual keyboard-only navigation — every interactive element verified for focus order, focus visibility, and operability
- Manual screen-reader testing — page-level walkthrough with NVDA on Windows and VoiceOver on macOS/iOS
- Color contrast verification — every text/background pair tested against WCAG 2.1 AA minimums
- Mobile and zoom testing — page reflow at 320px viewport and at 200% zoom
- Reader feedback — accessibility-issue reports are our highest-priority queue and are typically resolved within 1–3 business days
Reporting an Accessibility Issue
If you find something on the site that doesn’t work for you with a screen reader, keyboard, magnification, voice control, or any other assistive technology, please tell us. Email info@recentarrests.org with subject “Accessibility issue” and include:
- The page URL on recentarrests.org/ where you encountered the issue
- What you were trying to do
- What happened (or didn’t happen) — what you saw or heard
- Your browser, operating system, and any assistive technology you were using
- An email address so we can follow up
We acknowledge accessibility-issue reports within 1–3 business days. Substantive remediation timelines depend on the issue but are tracked actively.
External Escalation
If you are not satisfied with our response to an accessibility issue, you have several external options:
| Body | Role | URL |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Justice — ADA | Enforces ADA Title III against private operators of public accommodations | ada.gov |
| U.S. Access Board | Federal agency that develops accessibility guidelines and standards (including the 2017 Section 508 Refresh) | access-board.gov |
| Federal Communications Commission (FCC) | CVAA accessibility framework for communications and video programming | fcc.gov/general/disability-rights-office |
| Your state attorney general’s office | Many state AGs handle accessibility complaints under state human-rights and civil-rights laws | State-specific URL |
Continuous Improvement
Web accessibility is an ongoing commitment, not a one-time exercise. Standards evolve, browsers and assistive technologies change, and reader feedback constantly highlights areas to improve. This statement reflects our current standard and process; we update it as our practices change. The “Last reviewed” date at the top is current.
Tell Us When Something Doesn’t Work for You
Accessibility-issue reports are our highest-priority queue. We acknowledge within 1–3 business days and prioritise remediation.
📧 Report an accessibility issue