Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and JIL launch partnership
By Kelli L. Ross
MEMPHIS, TN — Justice Innovation Lab (JIL) and the Shelby County (Tennessee) District Attorney’s Office (SCDAG) officially launched a partnership to ensure Shelby County’s criminal justice system operates fairly and transparently. A kickoff meeting was held on April 11 in Memphis. During this 18-month partnership, JIL will analyze existing prosecutorial data to identify unwanted outcomes and work with the office to make concrete structural and policy changes to address them.
The JIL-SCDAG partnership is the culmination of months of preliminary meetings and consultations between the two organizations. Its purpose is to enhance data transparency in the District Attorney’s Office, and to improve case outcomes and public safety.
“Increasing data transparency is something I've been talking about since the start of my campaign,” said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. “I'm pleased to have national experts who specialize in this area to help us use data to measure performance, drive decision making, and let the public hold the system accountable.”
In addition to data transparency, both JIL and SCDAG believe in the importance of training Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys and office leadership to enhance their skills with the aim of achieving just prosecutorial goals. Special emphasis will be put on building a culture around data-informed innovation, eliminating unnecessary incarceration, and supporting a data-informed approach to prosecution that increases public safety.
JIL will review and analyze SCDAG’s prosecutorial data from January 1, 2014, to date as the first step in helping the office improve data quality and collection. JIL will then analyze SCDAG’s performance on key criminal justice metrics, and in conjunction with community members, SCDAG and JIL will design targeted policy interventions to improve identified metrics. JIL will complete an initial review of the data within 60 days to assess the quality and quantity of data available.
“Justice Innovation Lab works with jurisdictions that are committed to building a more effective and fair justice system,” said JIL Executive Director Jared Fishman. “We are excited to work with the team in Shelby County that recognizes that by using a data-informed, collaborative approach, we can solve many of the legal system’s most challenging problems.”
During the project, JIL will lead SCDAG through a series of workshops that will equip the office with the tools, data, and understanding necessary to make more data-driven and equitable decisions.
