DANE COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE COUNCIL TO HEAR FROM JOHNSON COUNTY KANSAS ON DATA-DRIVEN JUSTICE

March 24, 2021
County Board Chair Analiese Eicher, (608) 571-6823

The Dane County Criminal Justice Council (CJC) will meet virtually on Thursday, March 25 at 12:15pm.  The agenda for the meeting can be found here: https://dane.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=815276&GUID=46D53BF2-1E6B-4535-9560-998370891834　

 

At this month’s meeting, the CJC will hear from representatives from Johnson County, Kansas on their work in Data Drive Justice. Specifically, around better service and outcomes for residents with the use of data and technology.

 

Data Driven Justice is a NACO (National Association of Counties) and Arnold Ventures initiative designed to better align resources to people experiencing a behavioral health crisis, particularly those who are frequent users of justice, health and human services systems.  There are over 120 communities in the national cohort.

 

"We cannot fully understand the system without accurate information," said Dane County Clerk of Court Carlo Esqueda.　 "Using data will allow us to divert people with behavioral health issues away from the criminal justice system and help them find the resources that will help them with their treatment.　 It also simply helps us serve the entire community better."

 

Joining DDJ in 2016, the Dane County Criminal Justice Council data and improvement efforts were highlighted in a recent NACO report. 　County and city stakeholders have committed to sharing data to move improvements forward—one of a very few counties in the State of Wisconsin that does so.　

 

The collaborative network of counties working to move the needle in criminal justice reform includes sharing information, successes, failures, and tips with one another.　 The presentation from Johnson County, Kansas will highlight their work thus far. 　

 

"We need to learn from others, as much as we need to share what we are learning," said County Board Chair Analiese Eicher, who is also Chair of the Criminal Justice Council.　 "Without these partnerships, we miss out on opportunities to think outside-the-box and truly transform our systems."

 

To learn more about what Dane County has done in data drive justice, visit their website: cjc.countyofdane.com.

 

Members of the public are able to register to attend and/or speak by following the information at the top of the agenda.