Project Manager, State Initiatives CSG Justice Center
The criminal justice system is made up of law enforcement agencies, prosecution offices, defense attorney offices, courts, jails, prisons, and community supervision agencies. Additionally, victim services, community advocacy, behavioral health organizations, and other community supports all play a critical part in the overall efficacy of public safety efforts. Looking at data across these systems helps states and local governments pinpoint critical decision-making points that may be driving specific criminal justice challenges. This session will highlight not just the importance of but the potential for overcoming data silos to get to the most nuanced and actionable analyses possible. Through data matching of criminal justice and behavioral health information through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, states have been able to understand when people first interacted with the criminal justice system and how they continue to cycle through jails, emergency rooms, and prisons. Additionally, Justice Counts is a suite of tools, backed by new technology, available to states and local jurisdictions to improve data sharing across the criminal justice system. Data sharing between criminal justice and behavioral health systems; information about staffing, budgets, and operations; and improved data visualizations can enhance our ability to make data-driven criminal justice improvements.
