100 Prosecutors Complete Culture of Innovation Workshop in Memphis

By: KELLI L. ROSS

Opening Justice Innovation Lab’s Culture of Innovation workshop, Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy told attendees, “I had a supervisor at DOJ, who used to say, ‘If you want to improve something, measure it.’ I'm a big believer in that, and that's why I think data is so important. In the past we have been using data, but imperfectly and incompletely, and we need to do a much better job, which is why I've embarked us on this cooperation, this partnership with JIL.”

During the last week of November, 100 prosecutors from the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office (SCDAG) were joined by members of the Memphis community for a four-day workshop that explored data-informed decision making, systems thinking, and human-centered design. Sessions also included conversations with system-impacted community members. The training culminated with groups creating proposals for new processes and policies that could lead to better outcomes for Shelby County residents.  

“We often think about the criminal justice system as if it were a singular system, when it's really 2,000 different systems,” said Jared Fishman, JIL Founder and Executive Director. “Every county and every city in America has its own justice system, which can feel overwhelming. But because each system is independent, any community has the power to innovate and fix the problems they care about. Over the course of the training, we helped the jurisdiction begin to figure out what is possible, right now, without changing any laws, and by exercising their discretion more thoughtfully and effectively. We want to help them develop common sense solutions.”

DA Mulory encouraged his office to consider three E’s – Equitable, Efficient, and Effective – as they examined their data and brainstormed goals and solutions.

“Equitable. Are we, in fact, being fair? Are racial disparities improving? Are we doing a good job of correcting any past wrongful convictions or wrongful sentences and putting measures in place to make sure that we don't create new ones? And, are we adhering to the highest ethical standards, which are higher than any other lawyer in the system? And, we need to ask ourselves every day, are we acting appropriately? 

Efficient. Are we disposing of cases adequately, timely, quickly enough? Are we contributing to a backlog? Are we chipping away at the backlog? And, are we making the best use of the staff that we have? 

Effective. Are we bending the curve on crime, on racial disparities, and on dysfunctions in the system? These are things that can be measured.”

This partnership started in April, with JIL helping SCDAG assess the reliability of existing data and how to improve data collection. Now, JIL is analyzing SCDAG data to help the jurisdiction understand key metrics, such as how many cases are open, monthly trends of incoming and outgoing cases, and how cases are being resolved. By better understanding what is currently happening in the system, the office can more effectively focus its limited public safety resources.  

“We spent an intensive couple of days figuring out what we want to measure, how we're going to measure it, and how we're going to use that to improve our office's function in terms of being fair, being effective, and being efficient,” Mulroy said.

The workshop was conducted with assistance from Vera Institute of Justice, and supported by Arnold Ventures, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Microsoft, and Stand Together Trust.

What participants are saying:

Chris Lareau, SCDAG First Deputy: Everybody has thought this week has been excellent to take the time to sit down and think about, how can we do things better? Let's not come at it with what we did before was wrong, but how can we reimagine what we're doing to make better decisions?

Alicia Washington, Chief Assistant District Attorney, Shelby County Juvenile Court: It's an era of change that I’ve never seen in 15 years.

Patience Branham, SCDAG Assistant District Attorney: I've worked at the District Attorney’s office for 40 years, actually breaking out and talking to defendants has never happened before in this office. It's wonderful to have that happening, because it has opened my eyes so much.

Dennis Marshall, Community Member: That's why I'm here. I want to provide the most powerful people in the courtroom, the DAs, a perspective, an alternative solution to incarceration.

Kenneth Muhammad, Community Member: To put something together for the assistant district attorneys to be in one room with people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system is new for Shelby County. I don't recall anything like this taking place before, so there's excitement with the possibilities of actually reforming this system. 

Get a glimpse into our Shelby County training by watching this video.