IMPLEMENTING JUSTICE COUNTS IN ILLINOIS

All three branches of Illinois government recognize the need for timely justice system data and information. Consistent with this, 2021 justice system reform legislation in Illinois (Illinois HB3653) introduced multiple statutes designed to establish or strengthen statewide data collection efforts. However, it remains that in Illinois public data is predominantly available as annual totals in agency administrative reports or in agency fact sheets, with little consistency across data projects. The Bureau of Justice Assistance Justice Counts initiative is an opportunity for Illinois to create a new vision for public data dissemination.

The Illinois Justice Counts Implementation Task Force is led by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), a state executive agency with statutory responsibility for statewide justice system policy development and planning. In year one, ICJIA will lead the interbranch Task Force toward achievement of the following goals: (1) identify Justice Counts metrics that can be collected immediately, and begin collecting them statewide, with ICJIA serving as centralized statewide repository, (2)  develop a methodological plan for the remaining Justice Counts metrics, and begin to implement the plan, (3) promote awareness of the Justice Counts initiative throughout Illinois. Through achievement of these goals, Illinois policymakers will have access to a consistent single source for key justice system metrics.