Joining with the Louisville Metro Government, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation recently designed tools and piloted innovations and test systems reforms. It was hoped that this would make the criminal justice system more efficient and cost-effective while increasing public safety. Initially data was assembled from system agencies and then analyzed in an attempt to “identify potential pre-trial interventions for implementation.” To make it more efficient pre-trial programs are being run.
One way of better sharing information through agencies and partners is through the development of technology applications. It is hoped that this will decrease processing times. A court notification system might be set up to remind defendants of court dates. If they are not appearing in court, workloads could be decreased. It is hoped that once the pilot is finished, the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) will have be able to access the data analysis, gaining a better understanding of all operations. In addition, law enforcement initiatives could be targeted; changes to policy could be identified and training in general could be enhanced.
Indeed, it is believed that such analytics, data and technology can be used to enhance all parts of the criminal justice system. Already throughout the country police departments have been setting up similar activities which have significantly helped law enforcement officers more efficiently deal with crime. There is much more to be done, but this integrated approach set out by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, is a good start. It has been suggested that the improvements encountered in Louisville can serve as templates for changes throughout the US, such as decreasing the problem of overcrowding in prisons; testing electronic monitoring supervision; studying court processing teams and more.
