Case Study

Measures for Justice: Commons

Measures for Justice Commons launched in 2021 to bring transparency and accountability to the criminal justice system. The platform provides deep insights into county-level systems and is designed to engage the local community, inform policy decisions and drive positive change.

I served as the Director of Product Engineering during the Measures for Justice Commons development, leading a team of engineers and designers through all stages of engineering and delivery. Our first deployment was for the Yolo County, California’s District Attornies office in April 2021, which was well received in The Sacramento Bee and local news.

“The Commons data portal allows people from every part of our county to have instant access to accurate information about our local criminal justice system. Let's use this transparency and open data to facilitate new conversations and drive the best possible outcomes for the people of our community.”
Jeff Reisig - District Attorney Yolo County, California
Jeff Reisig
District Attorney Yolo County, California

Commons is freely accessible to the community, giving them unprecedented data and insights into their local prosecutorial system.

Yolo Commons Home Page
Yolo Commons Home Page

Commons allows the community to work with their local district attorney to set and track agreed-upon policy goals. Yolo County set and met a goal to increase felony-level diversions (alternatives to incarceration) to 10% of all felonies by 2022.

Yolo Commons Policy Goal Page
Yolo Commons Policy Goal Page

The data can be easily broken down by defendant characteristics, such as race, to ensure people are treated equally for the same offenses.

Yolo Commons - Cases Diverted by Race / Male
Yolo Commons - Cases Diverted by Race / Male

The following video details how Commons was received by the community and how it is helping the prosecutor’s office better understand its own data and set and meet goals important to the community.