Analyzing Data to Advance Police Reform in Indianapolis

Indianapolis and Marion County, IN

Indiana’s jail population has risen dramatically because of policy reforms that have lengthened sentences and transferred incarcerated people from prisons to jails. And with nearly 40 percent of Indiana’s incarcerated population being Black, racial and ethnic disparities in the jail population are stark. In 2020, the Indianapolis City-County Council formed the General Orders Board, which has democratic oversight over local law enforcement. It’s the first time the community has had a formal voice in overseeing police policy, but the community lacks key data with which to advocate for justice reform.

With Catalyst Grant funding, Faith in Indiana and the Polis Center at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis built a practitioner-researcher relationship to equip communities in Marion County with data about the local justice system. They established a memorandum of understanding with the Marion County Jail and secured access to a comprehensive five-year dataset of all indicators collected by the jail, and they have begun analyzing those data and have developed a data visualization tool layered with policy reforms to understand jail population trends. Faith in Indiana's grassroots leaders will use the data and visualization tool to shape their advocacy and spur reform locally.