Demand for data rises after Yolo County pilot
Commons partnering with additional District Attorneys
An expansive public data platform was launched in Yolo County last month. Now, the program is expanding to 15 additional District Attorney’s Offices throughout the United States.
Yolo Commons is a partnership between the Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, the Yolo County Multi-Cultural Council and Measures for Justice — a nonprofit that works to “arm communities” with data to solve criminal justice problems. It shares monthly data on court cases in order to let the community, and the government systems know what is happening within their criminal justice systems.
“I’ve been a prosecutor for 24 years, and I’ve come to firmly believe that in order to have any real, meaningful, actionable conversation about criminal justice or criminal justice reform, you have to have thorough and accurate
data,” Reisig said during the launch event for Yolo Commons in April. “And what’s frustrated me over my career has been how difficult it has been to get that data from all levels of government. Particularly, in the criminal justice program.”
Measures for Justice has now partnered with the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys — a nonprofit that works to “ensure safer and more equitable communities through prosecutorial training” — and Tableau Foundation — a “philanthropic initiative” from the employees of Tableau Software, which encourages using “facts and analytical reasoning to solve the world’s problems — to expand the pilot to 15 additional District Attorney’s Offices, according to a statement from Measures for Justice. The partnership will start with the East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; Jackson County, Missouri; and Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Fairfax County in Virginia is also receiving “technical assistance” to start off their path to a similar data platform.
“Criminal justice leaders must take the responsibility for driving reforms that improve fairness and consistency in prosecutorial decision-making and justice system performance,” stated Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez. “By collaborating with Measures for Justice we are advancing a national effort to build community trust in the justice system through transparency and accountability.”
In a newsletter, Measures for Justice explained that more and more people have started reaching out to them about launching a program similar to the one launched in Yolo County.
“Friends, since we launched our first Commons in Yolo, CA, last month, demand for the product has tripled,” the newsletter stated. “We know the climate and culture are ready, willing, and even hungry for a new way to motivate and pursue change. And yet even we were surprised by the torrent of requests for Commons.”
Measures for Justice describes Commons as “a cocreated space for the community, police, prosecutors, and courts to make criminal justice data transparent and shared goals public.” Yolo Commons hosts a multitude of data points on what is happening in the DA’s Office. It shows how many cases have been referred from local law enforcement agencies and how long it takes to finalize a case. It also allows the user to adjust for things like age, race or even whether or not the person arrested was a resident of Yolo County.
At the launch of Yolo Commons, Reisig explained that the lack of data “erodes” trust between the community and local governments.
“And so, when you have real simple questions about what’s going on in the criminal justice system, and it can’t be answered — then it’s a mystery,” he added. “And that mystery just drives the feeling that there is a lack of accountability in the system.”
Fiona Maazel, the director of communications with Measures for Justice, stated that Yolo County has already had “promising updates” with Yolo Commons and that those updates will be shared in the future.