District Attorney Marian Ryan Hosts 2nd Data Summit
WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan recently hosted her 2nd Data Summit, bringing together leaders and practitioners at the federal, state and local level to explore best practices in collecting, analyzing and sharing data with a focus on equity. The program examined the use of data in the criminal system to help advance the work of prosecutors’ offices and public safety agencies, increase transparency and achieve better outcomes.
“For a prosecutor’s office, data-driven decision making is critical, not just in informing our work in future cases, but also in ensuring that the public has access to the outcomes reached in past cases. We have made great strides in revolutionizing the way we collect data. This has helped us to better evaluate whether our policies and practices are effective and having the intended outcomes. For example, we want to assess whether diversion and other non-punitive approaches are being maximized and applied equitably and if we are addressing the rights of victims through restitution and other measurable benchmarks. This summit is key to keeping this topic at the forefront of conversation and allows us to bring industry leaders together to help us to expand on best practices,” said District Attorney Ryan.
Recognizing the national impact of data in the criminal system, District Attorney Ryan invited Denver District Attorney Beth McCann to share her perspective on how another major U.S. city is approaching the use of data to advance equity and racial justice.
Other presenters included Kevin M. Scott, PhD, Deputy Director for the Bureau of Justice Statistics in the U.S. Department of Justice who described federal efforts to modernize data usage, visualization and communication; and Michael Coelho, Deputy Commissioner for Programs with the statewide Massachusetts Probation Service, who explained how data can be used to guide operations, strengthen training and promote the use of evidence-based practices.
Highlighting the value of Middlesex County’s many colleges and universities and our partnerships in that area, Professor Rebecca Dunlea, PhD, School of Criminology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, spoke about her research at the intersection of criminal justice and social inequality and the work of Prosecutorial Performance Indicators – a tool that enables prosecutors to measure and track data related to a range of goals.
District Attorney Ryan is committed to increasing transparency by tracking and analyzing our data related to prosecutions in Middlesex County. Middlesex is the largest county in Massachusetts with 54 cities and towns and a population of 1.6 million. The first step in this process was our making data available and easily accessible to the public. To view our prosecution data and statistics, visit: https://www.middlesexda.com/transparency-through-data.
Watch a recording of the summit here.