Martinez, CA — The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) announces the publication of a new report, Improving Outcomes for Contra Costa Public Defender Clients: Exploring Life Factors, Data, and Racial Justice, in partnership with the Contra Costa Public Defenders Office (CCPD) and with support from Measures for Justice (MFJ), a nonpartisan nonprofit using data to reshape the criminal legal system.
The report is the result of a multifaceted research project with the goal of helping CCPD better understand their clients’ experiences and challenges when coming into contact with law enforcement and the criminal legal system. Taking a community-centered approach, CPE conducted 41 one-on-one interviews with CCPD clients and identified several ways to advocate for improved outcomes and more robust and holistic services. These recommendations include greater investment in supportive services for mental and physical health, employment, housing, and transportation, as well as alternatives to pretrial detention and the imposition of fines and fees, among others.
"Our clients often face a range of negative outcomes following contact with law enforcement that can exacerbate existing struggles such as with mental health, housing, employment, or transportation," said Ellen McDonnell, Chief Public Defender at CCPD. "Our goal at CCPD is to vigorously represent our clients as they navigate this system and provide holistic support to mitigate negative outcomes. Our partnership with CPE and MFJ and the recommendations contained in this report have given us the data-driven insights to better help us represent our clients, all while centering their perspectives and experiences."
In addition to the community-engaged research phase, the project also focused on data downstream from initial contact with law enforcement. Scientists at CPE and MFJ conducted a data gap analysis of CCPD’s current data practices and identified ways to improve data collection and reporting. By improving its data infrastructure, CCPD will be better able to leverage a wealth of information in its client advocacy efforts.
“We worked closely with CPE and CCPD to assess the officer’s data infrastructure and availability,” said Sema A. Taheri, Ph.D., Vice President of Research at MFJ, of the partnership. “Sharing our expertise on data quality and meaningful measurement, we identified key insights the office most needed to evaluate case outcomes and meet clients’ needs, and provided a comprehensive report on our findings. Strengthening data accessibility across the system empowers public defenders to make informed decisions that improve outcomes for the communities they serve.”
A third outcome of the collaborative effort between CPE and CCPD was the development of a data toolkit for use on cases related to the California Racial Justice Act (RJA), passed in 2020. The toolkit includes an interactive dashboard and research index that will allow attorneys to explore racially disparate trends in prosecution data and to access resources in a more efficient manner, further strengthening CCPD’s capabilities to litigate RJA cases successfully. More information on the RJA data toolkit will be made available in the coming months.
Learn more about this innovative project, the accompanying summary, and more on CPE’s website.