In the latest move to radically overhaul the tracking of criminal justice data, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has beefed up its Cross Tracking System, making it easier to quickly see who’s been up to what in the Massachusetts penal system. The expanded dashboard, following the 2018 Criminal Justice Reform (CJR) law requirements, aggregates and organizes data on charges and convictions for inmates across state and county slammers. It's all online for anyone with an internet connection to easily access and download.
This enhancement allows the public to easily to sift through five years' worth of data, spotlighting information by age, sex, and race-ethnicity. Gov. Maura Healey says the system is "designed to increase transparency" and "improve criminal justice outcomes," aiming to more effectively serve the community. The platform’s latest update consolidates a massive 256,000 records from the Department of Correction, the County Sheriff Offices, and the Trial Court, providing a comprehensive view of the state’s criminal justice docket.
"Good policy decisions rely on good data," stated Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, according to a release. She praised the collaborative effort that made the detailed tracking dashboards possible. These tools promise to enhance public safety by shedding light on systemic patterns and paving the way for responsive and hopefully effective policy solutions.
Under the CJR law's mandate, the Healey-Driscoll Administration aims to truly to revolutionize the state’s justice data landscape. A robust, linked system needed across-the-board standardization in gathering and reporting data. Thanks to the shared efforts that included the EOTSS, justice was not the only thing being served; a serving of uniformity and integration was also on the plate. This multifaceted initiative required substantial tech updates to bring the partner agency record systems in line with the new, streamlined standards.
Looking ahead, the Cross Tracking System will expand to include even more detail from local law enforcement and the courts. As Massachusetts wades deeper into the digital age of justice, the Healey-Driscoll Administration appears to be committed to keeping a clearer and more actionable electronic eye on what's happening within the systems of law and order. Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi, as quoted by the official release, echoed the sentiment that transparency and providing accessible information are crucial to building trust and spurring accountability within the justice system.
