The Nevada Department of Sentencing Policy (NDSP) recently launched an online dashboard, providing the public with easy access to a wealth of justice system data for the first time.
Intended to enhance transparency and accountability, the dashboard presents incarceration trends at Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) facilities, including population count, admissions, and releases. The new online resource allows users to parse data using different variables, such as date, geography, and demographic characteristics. The data are updated monthly.
Previously, publicly available NDOC data were limited and difficult to compare over time. Monthly reports were released as individual PDF documents, with information from each month in a separate file. The dashboard lets users examine multiple metrics and outcomes over time.
The dashboard roll-out is part of Nevada’s ongoing efforts to enhance its justice system processes through the state’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI), funded by the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), supported Nevada leaders in developing policy and practice solutions reflected in Nevada’s 2019 comprehensive justice reform bill, AB 236. CJI staff provide ongoing technical assistance for the implementation process.
NDSP intends to expand the dashboard and collect system-wide data from state and local entities that have traditionally been siloed, including numbers related to probation, parole, and county jails. This goal is in line with NDSP’s mission to support the state in collecting and analyzing statewide data and using it to guide future decision making.
“Our work to centralize and disseminate data is part of a larger vision of our department as the hub for justice system information in Nevada,” said Victoria Gonzalez, executive director of NDSP. “Data must remain at the forefront to ensure the long-term success of our justice reforms.”
Click here to view the dashboard.