A Model for Building a Data-Informed Organization

• In Event: Lightning Talk: Criminological Research: Data Challenges and Innovative Approaches

Abstract

This lightning talk presents a data team model that successfully integrates applied research and data analytics into a single centralized department. Leaders from a NYC-based criminal justice nonprofit will share their framework and strategy for scaling a multifaceted data-focused department over the past decade. The “Data Analytics and Applied Research” (DAAR) team at the Center for Justice Innovation comprises expertise in data collection methods, database management, technical requirements-gathering and documentation, complex reporting, analytics and dashboards, rapid-cycles analyses, program evaluation and other applied research. The DAAR model is unique: it is positioned centrally in the ~1000-employee organization, yet its individual members are fully embedded in decentralized sites and dedicated to a diverse portfolio of programmatic work. It is a model of complementary attributes: collaborative and autonomous, standardized and flexible, embedded and independent—allowing for an effective combination of on-the-ground insights, ongoing data-informed programmatic decision-making, and a high degree of research integrity. Presenters will provide practical insights and discuss the successes and challenges encountered in optimizing their organizational data infrastructure. Examples will underscore the power of data-informed organizations in driving criminal justice reform.

Authors

• Tia Pooler, Center for Justice Innovation

• Lenore Lebron, Center for Justice Innovation