This technical implementation guide for courts and pretrial operations provides an overview of Justice Counts, global definitions, funding sources, expenses, judges and staff, pretrial release reasons, criminal case filings, sentences imposed, sentences imposed by race and ethnicity, sentences imposed by biological sex, and new offenses while on pretrial release.
This document provides an in-depth guide on the Justice Counts national initiative, which has three core components: consensus-driven metrics for the entire system that help agencies focus on sharing the most critical data that policymakers need to make effective decisions; a novel set of tools to empower agencies to easily publish the metrics; and technical assistance to help agencies effectively and efficiently share data that answer policymakers’ most frequently asked questions, and better frame the narrative about their work to decision-makers. The Justice Counts metrics were developed by seven sector-specific subcommittees, composed of practitioners and researchers who focused on determining the most useful and feasible metrics for policymakers to consider and for agencies to publish. The Justice Counts technical implementation guide aims to meet agencies where they are in terms of data collection, sharing, and definitions. This guide focuses on courts and pretrial operations metrics and allows agencies to preview the choices they will be asked to make during the onboarding process, it also helps agencies anticipate and prepare for the level of detail that onboarding requires. The guide can also be used as a tool to engage the various staff who may be experts regarding the collection and analysis of different data points about the preferred approach for each metric. Contents include metrics for funding sources, expenses, judges and staff, pretrial release reasons, criminal case filings, sentences imposed, sentences imposed by race and ethnicity, sentences imposed by biological sex, and new offenses while on pretrial release.