Georgia Supreme Court Justice Michael Boggs Appointed Chair of
National Effort to Improve Criminal Justice Data
Justice Counts aims to make criminal justice data more timely, useful
Atlanta, GA—Nov. 18, 2020—Georgia Supreme Court Justice Michael P. Boggs will chair the newly formed steering committee to guide Justice Counts, the largest, most comprehensive national effort to improve the availability and utility of criminal justice data, the initiative announced today.
Justice Counts, made possible by the support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, is a national, consensus-building initiative designed to help policymakers make better decisions with criminal justice data that’s more timely, less disjointed, and as useful as possible.
“Justice Boggs has demonstrated strong leadership and a data-driven approach not only in Georgia, but as a key figure within the national criminal justice discussion,” said Megan Quattlebaum, director of The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, which will lead the initiative. “We’re so proud to have him lead such an accomplished group of voices on the frontlines of the system in order to help us reach consensus and truly impact government decision-making.”
Along with the CSG Justice Center, the initiative will be backed by 21 additional partners representing officials in every corner of our nation’s state, county, and municipal justice systems. The steering committee comprises active state and local officials—from law enforcement, to corrections, to legislatures, and beyond—who will help the initiative organize available data for each state and ultimately reach consensus about a baseline set of criminal justice metrics that can drive budget and policy decisions.
“Justice Counts has assembled an unprecedented coalition of state and local leaders to enhance policymakers’ decisions across our nation’s justice system,” said Boggs, who met with fellow committee members today for the first time. “I’m proud to help mobilize policymakers and stakeholders from across the country to put these metrics to work, and to support the development of the tools they need to help them measure what matters.”
Justice Counts will embark on a scan of public, aggregate criminal justice data to provide policymakers in every state with timely information about their criminal justice systems, existing gaps in data collection, and opportunities to do better.
Specifically, the steering committee will guide the following efforts:
- State data: Aggregate publicly available data from all 50 states to provide timely, integrated information on criminal justice trends.
- Consensus: Develop an essential set of criminal justice metrics that every public official needs to inform budget and policy decisions.
- Resources: Create a range of tools that will enable policymakers and practitioners to improve how their state or locality collects, analyzes, and reports criminal justice data.
To learn more about Justice Counts, visit the initiative’s website at www.justice-counts.org.
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ABOUT THE CSG JUSTICE CENTER
The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that combines the power of a membership association, representing state officials in all three branches of government, with policy and research expertise to develop strategies that increase public safety and strengthen communities. For more information about the CSG Justice Center, visit www.csgjusticecenter.org.