Data and technology for racial equity in the criminal legal system
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Summary
To reduce the harms caused by police, a coalition of organizations in Mecklenburg County began working together to help people access and use relevant policing data for advocacy and community organizing. The focus of this work was to advocate for eliminating county administrative traffic stops and strengthening those organizations’ capacity to press for additional reform.
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The Urban Institute and the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative are collaborating on the Catalyst Grant Program to help organizations use data and technology to advance racial equity in the criminal legal system.
Using Traffic Stop Data for Change in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina To reduce the harms caused by police, a coalition of organizations in Mecklenburg County began working together to help people access and use relevant policing data for advocacy and community organizing. The focus of this work was to advocate for eliminating county administrative traffic stops andTailoring Grantmaking for Community-based Nonprofits The Catalyst Grant Program team seeks to make our grantmaking process as accessible as possible for smaller groups, and we have learned from early grantees how to better tailor the process for community-based nonprofits. The learning is never done, but we have identified a few promising practicesUsing Technology to Support Indigent Defense in New York City With funding from the Catalyst Grant Program, the nonprofit Youth Justice Network collaborated with the New York Office of Court Administration, the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, and the 18B Assigned Counsel Panel to develop a mobile application on Microsoft’s Power Apps to aidReimagining Public Safety in Tucson, Arizona With funding from the Catalyst Grant Program, Just Communities Arizona (JCA), an abolitionist organization based in Tucson, developed and launched a community survey to learn about the perceptions of safety of Tucson residents, especially those in underresourced and overpoliced neighborhoods.Investing in Data and Technology Can Advance Local Criminal Justice Reform and Racial Equity With data and technology, local organizations can identify community safety needs, improve services for those affected by criminal justice systems, and inform advocacy efforts and policy decision making.
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