This health project aimed to lay a strong foundation for the independent study called for in House Bill 22-1326 (Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention). The Colorado Lab conducted background research and engaged diverse stakeholders in order to develop a robust study analysis plan.
A series of new reports, developed through the Colorado Prosecutorial Dashboards project, provide Colorado District Attorneys’ Offices with a more in-depth understanding of racial and ethnic differences in their prosecution processes.
The project worked with key system stakeholders, as well as community groups, to systematically examine the outcomes of individuals arrested and booked into Denver County jail. The Colorado Lab provided technical advising, study validation, and coaching to Department of Public Safety staff.
The Colorado Lab is working with eight District Attorneys’ (DAs) Offices in Colorado to develop data dashboards to assist them with tracking progress toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness. The second cross-jurisdiction learning meeting took place last month, providing an opportunity for offices to hear from, connect with, and learn from each other.
The Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel (ORPC) is accepting referrals for indigent parents in Jefferson County whose unmet legal needs may be affecting the safety of their children.
In November 2021, the Lab worked with the Denver District Attorney’s Office to complete a follow-up study to an April 2021 report to dig deeper into dismissals of filed cases and deferred judgments for defendants.
The Colorado Lab, in partnership with the Prosecutorial Performance Indicators Project, is working with District Attorneys’ Offices from across the state to develop internal and external facing data dashboards – designed to assist offices with tracking their progress toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness through data.
The purpose of this follow-on project was to dig deeper into two points of prosecutorial discretion—dismissals of filed cases and deferred judgments for defendants—to examine whether the characteristics of defendants or the reasons for the dismissal or deferred judgment differed by defendant race/ethnicity.
This project supported prosecutors’ offices across Colorado in using data to take proactive, engaged responses to community problems that de-emphasize the use of incarceration, reduce racial and ethnic disparities in justice outcomes, build greater trust through community engagement, and increase prosecutorial transparency and accountability.
Crossover youth are the young people with two types of court cases: (1) dependency and neglect and (2) juvenile justice. This project connected child welfare and court system records to help meet federal reporting requirements and inform state policies and practices aimed at serving crossover youth.