The new data shop in town: On prosecutors, data, and reform

• In Event: Attitudes and the Criminal Court System

Abstract

Across the United States, elected prosecutors are using their discretion to be at the vanguard of criminal legal reform. Widely recognized areas of prosecutorial discretion include charging, diversion, plea bargaining, and sentencing recommendations. Prosecutors also have discretion to use data, analytics, and research to inform policy, practice, and public discourse. This paper describes how reform-minded prosecutors have incorporated data, analytics, and research into their discretionary toolkits, highlighting key examples of new data teams in prosecutorial offices across the US and emergent data-informed narratives regarding public safety. Key topics include misdemeanor prosecution, arrest rates, gun possession, and non-law enforcement approaches to ameliorating social problems. Implications for systemic reform, research, and the social construction of public safety are discussed.

Authors

• Oren M. Gur, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, DATA Lab

• Michael Hollander, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, DATA Lab