Overview
Why did we develop this dashboard?
The 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office developed this data transparency initiative in conjunction with the national Prosecutorial Performance Indicators (PPI) project. My goal is that by sharing this data, we can provide information to the public concerning our processes and outcomes in order to measure performance towards three goals: Capacity and Efficiency, Community Safety and Well-being, and Fairness and Justice.
When I took office as District Attorney in January of 2021, I began to prioritize efforts to use evidence-based inputs and share our work with the community. As part of those efforts, I immediately joined with seven other District Attorney's Offices around Colorado in partnership with PPI and the University of Denver Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab on this cutting-edge initiative that will allow for a more consistent and transparent look at criminal justice across the state.
This site is aimed to improve knowledge and understanding of the District Attorney's Office's work among the public and improve our own internal processes. This data can help identify trends and patterns in the community to support key conversations and decisions, encourage transparency and accountability within the office, and drive engagement with the community in new and innovative ways.
Historically, District Attorney's Offices were flying blind when it came to data in decision making. I am proud that the 8th Judicial District is now on the forefront of data collection and transparency on a national level. Greater reliance on modern, data-driven factors will improve our daily decision making and long-term criminal justice planning, resulting in a more efficient, more effective, and more equitable office.
The data from this project will allow us to both ensure the correct time and energy is spent on our continuing priorities of addressing serious crime and serving victims, while also providing input to improve our focus on diversion, restorative justice, and other projects which aim to minimize unnecessary punitiveness.
The data you see on this dashboard often contains complex inputs and no single issue can be solved by reviewing a graph. The District Attorney's Office is only one piece of larger justice related and societal trends. However, this data has already begun to prompt improvements in our focuses, and we will continue to use this and other data to inform our next advancements in criminal justice. If you have feedback for us, we welcome your input.
Thank you for your time and interest in joining our efforts to improve our criminal justice system,
Gordon P. McLaughlin
District Attorney
8th Judicial District
Larimer & Jackson Counties
Acknowledgements
This project is a collaborative effort between the Eighth Judicial District Attorney's Office, the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver, the Center for Criminal Justice Research at Loyola University Chicago, and the national Prosecutorial Performance Indicators Project. This dashboard was made possible by the Action case management system, stored and shared by the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council (CDAC). The project was funded with a grant from the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative.
