Analysis of Fines and Fees Colorado’s First Judicial District
Prison Sentences in Colorado’s First Judicial District
Data Drives Innovation
We regularly review data to inform and support our office policies, and we have recently looked into which cases are being dismissed. Cases are dismissed for many reasons, including but not limited to insufficient evidence, unavailability of a witness, or as part of a plea negotiation involving multiple cases. Cases can also be dismissed because an individual successfully completes our Pathways diversion program or a term of supervision on a deferred judgment. A prosecutor’s ability to evaluate a case and dismiss it when necessary is an essential tool for achieving justice in our community. This stands in stark contrast to the false trope that prosecutors solely focus on convictions.
In the course of developing the Data Dashboard with the Prosecutorial Performance Indicators (PPI) project, we discovered that our previous data on dismissal reasons was insufficient and unreliable. This lack of sufficient data left us with only anecdotal insights into the reasons behind dismissals in certain types of cases. To address the need for improved data, we partnered with District Attorneys across Colorado and PPI to develop new codes that would capture more detailed reasons for case dismissals. These new reason codes became available in Fall 2023. Our office fosters a culture of shared responsibility for maintaining accurate data, and our dedicated staff quickly adapted to consistently entering case dismissal reasons.
With this new data element at our fingertips, we were able to meaningfully analyze dismissal trends. One of the case types that stood out to us was people charged with not having proof of their car insurance while driving. Traffic cases comprise the highest volume of cases (40%) in County Court and the greatest volume of dismissals. Since January 2023, 2,603 dismissed traffic cases were charged with driving without insurance (“no proof of insurance”, NPOI). In total, driving without insurance accounts for 38% of all County Court dismissals.
Using the new reason codes allowed us to see that 83% of NPOI dismissals were because an individual provided proof of insurance. In our community, 65% comply independently by coming to their court appearance with proof of insurance in hand and 18% were able to obtain insurance with support from our Pathways program.
As a community that heavily relies on driving, our safety depends on everyone on the road being safe, licensed, and insured. Additionally, we must support those who are insured in maintaining their coverage, especially as insurance costs continue to increase. Having a better understanding of the “why” behind trends allows us to more strategically use our prosecutorial tools – like case dismissal – to achieve our community goals.
This new knowledge also ensures that our prosecutorial resources are focused on individuals who truly pose a risk to the community, rather than on those who may have simply forgotten their insurance card or have the ability to become safe, licensed, and insured drivers.
Since reviewing these findings, our office is exploring an administrative route to handling no proof of insurance cases, which may include providing a way for individuals charged with NPOI to submit proof of insurance without coming to court.
This is a great example of innovation resulting from the Data Dashboard and an office culture open to continuously exploring its data.