FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Chapman
Phone: (904) 255-3004
Cell: (904) 524-6626
ChapmanD@coj.net
Dec. 29, 2020
SAO4 LAUNCHES DATA DASHBOARD TO THE PUBLIC
Fulfilling a promise made to the community, State Attorney Melissa Nelson today announced the launch of a public data dashboard to improve transparency, build community trust, and bring a more data-driven approach to prosecution.
The dashboard is the culmination of a partnership with researchers at Florida International University and Loyola University of Chicago who have spent several years working with prosecutors in Jacksonville, Tampa, Chicago, and Milwaukee. The goal has been to collect, analyze, and present data in a way to better define and track success in a prosecutor’s office.
“Improving transparency and trust in the prosecutor’s office were goals we set when we began this work,” said Nelson. “This data dashboard is a major step toward that commitment and helps us become better prosecutors and better stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
The Fourth Circuit’s dashboard includes 33 Prosecutorial Performance Indicators, called PPIs, at launch. Indicators fall under categories of Capacity and Efficiency, Community Safety and Well-Being, and Fairness and Justice. Additional indicators will be added in the coming months.
You can view the Fourth Circuit State Attorney’s data dashboard at sao4thdatadashboard.com.
The John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge funded the project and the work of researchers who established the PPI initiative at prosecutorialperformanceindicators.org/.
Since 2018, researchers at FIU have worked with the office, interviewed prosecutors, and reviewed hundreds of thousands of files to help create these public data sets.
“The criminal justice system cannot be reformed without marked progress in the field of prosecution. We also recognize that prosecutors need to be equipped with data and analytics to understand their impact on the communities they serve,” said FIU Associate Professor Besiki Kutateladze, who led the PPI project. “After several years of partnership, we are thrilled to help launch Florida’s first prosecutorial dashboards to bring greater transparency and promote data-driven decisions in prosecution.”
Kutateladze and his colleagues conducted similar work with Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, which covers Hillsborough County and is led by Andrew Warren. The two circuits are the first in Florida — and among the first in the country — to launch such dashboards.
“We remain committed to improving the system for everyone,” said Nelson. “Data will help us lead the way.”