Justice Innovation Lab’s year in review—2021
By: KELLI L. ROSS
Inside the criminal justice system, particularly among prosecutors - the chief law enforcement officers of their jurisdictions - there is widespread agreement that we must do better.
As never before, there's a growing demand for a new approach to the practice of prosecution. Prosecutors across the country are exercising their power and responsibility to take a more innovative, proactive, and cost-effective approach to their work. At the same time, prosecutor’s offices are up against decades of ingrained cultural, institutional, and systemic barriers that often impede meaningful progress. Redefining what it means to be a successful prosecutor requires new tools, new skills, and a more holistic approach to achieving community safety.
Yet, most jurisdictions lack the capacity to build the change they seek. This year, Justice Innovation Lab began a partnership with the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office in South Carolina (SOL9) to address this demand.
Here are FOUR WAYS a difference was made as JIL provided prosecutors in South Carolina with a new approach.
Released the Disparity and Prosecution in Charleston, SC Report. This report was the first-of-its kind in South Carolina. Over 24,000 criminal charges for Black and white men from 2015-2020 were analyzed to determine if racial disparities resulted from prosecutorial decision-making. Not only did the report identify points of disparities in the jurisdiction’s criminal legal system, it sparked much-needed conversations about how a data-driven approach can reduce unfair results while simultaneously improving public safety. The report was produced in partnership with SOL9 and Prosecutorial Performance Indicators, without which, the findings would have remained hidden.
Partnered with prosecutors and community members in Charleston, SC, to conduct the first workshop on developing solutions to the inequities in their jurisdiction.
In September, JIL led the first in a series of three multi-day workshops to help prosecutors and community members in Charleston develop solutions to the inequities in their jurisdiction. JIL is helping SOL9 build a culture of innovation. The response — from community groups and law enforcement alike — has been overwhelmingly positive, suggesting that there is a pragmatic, collaborative, and effective way to tackle many of the most entrenched problems in our criminal legal system. And we’re just getting started.“It is not enough for us to have good intentions,” said Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson. “We must consider our impact on the communities we serve. Justice Innovation Lab’s data-driven, problem-solving approach is key to helping our community build a more just system.”
Received media recognition. This year, Justice Innovation Lab has been featured or interviewed in several regional and national media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, and The Post & Courier. We are grateful to share the message of this work with a growing community.
Grew the JIL Team. We expanded our team by adding former prosecutors, data scientists, policy experts, leadership coaches, curriculum developers, and community advocates. These team members — with targeted skill sets — give JIL the tools and knowledge needed to bring our model to more jurisdictions.
