It documents how cases are handled by prosecutors.
Frederick, Md (KM) The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office has launched a data dashboard. State’s Attorney Charlie Smith, who was a guest recently on WFMD’s “Morning News Express,” says it outlines how local prosecutors handle cases based on on offense type, the speed which with they’re have been handled and how cases were resolved based on a defendant’s race and ethnic background.
“We have a bunch of cases in Frederick County. It’s a growing county as we all know that. There are some resource ,management that we have to do just like in private industry,” he says.
Smith says the data dashboard will help the State’s Attorney’s Office focus more of its resources on individuals who re-offend It can also determine whether a defendant who has no criminal record can be cut some slack. “We do give good people who make bad decisions a break. We put them in diversion programs. We put them in our mental health court; our drug court; our veterans court,” he says. “We’re not all worried about our batting average and how many people we put in jail. That’s not it. We’re about public safety and justice for all, quite frankly.”
This data dashboard can help direct resources to other defendants. “The other people, the data shows that are going to re-offend and become more violent. So we’re going to focus more resources on those types of people,” says Smith.
The dashboard will show how cases are handled based on the race and ethnicity of the defendant. “I know you guys are out to prove a narrative that exists about prosecutors and who we prosecute. I’m in this project to disprove that narrative. I’m in this project to show you that we treat everybody fairly and impartially and that justice is truly blind, at least in my jurisdiction. And so far that’s what our numbers show,”: he said.
“John T. MacArthur Foundation and Microsoft and stuff have money because they’re pushing these data dashboards because they want offices to release data based on race and ethnicity on the defendant, etc, etc, etc,” Smith continues. “Interestingly enough, I’m part of a national project, and I think I’m the only Republican prosecutor in this project.”
The data dashboard is available to the public on line at data.samaryland.org/frederick. Smith says it won’t be available based on real time until later this year.
Frederick County is the second State’s Attorney’s Office in Maryland to have a data dashboard. The other is in Montgomery County.
By Kevin McManus