Project Abstract
There has been much discussion and debate about the extent to which bond practices are effective in keeping “high risk” defendants in jail—and, relatedly, have contributed to changes in crime rates in Denver. However, in part due to siloed data systems, previous efforts to review and summarize data on the outcomes of individuals arrested and booked into jail have been limited in their scope or methods. For this project, we worked with system stakeholders to lay the foundation to more holistically explore these issues and support data-driven decision-making. This included developing a systems map, defining priority research questions, and joining data from police, sheriff, pretrial services, and courts. In addition, the team conducted exploratory analyses to examine who was arrested and booked into jail, what types of bonds individuals received, and how long individuals remained in custody.
Agencies:
City and County of Denver, Department of Public Safety
Denver City Attorney
Denver County Court
Colorado State Judicial, Second Judicial District (District Court)
Denver District Attorney
Research Partners:
University of Denver, Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab
