HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2954        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1583

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Tom Sannicandro

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing a criminal justice data systems task force.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2954        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1583

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act establishing a criminal justice data systems task force.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Trial Court, shall create a task force to develop a report examining strategies to enhance capacity to analyze administrative data to increase the performance of the Commonwealth’s criminal justice system.

The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) a description and data schemas for the administrative databases utilized by the House of Corrections, Department of Corrections, the Parole Board, the Probation Department, and the Massachusetts Trial Court to track charges, sentencing, time served, risk assessment scores, and program participation; (ii) an analysis of gaps in the current data infrastructure and analytical needs with respect to tracking charges, sentencing, time served, risk assessment scores, and program participation; (iii) an analysis of opportunities and barriers to integrating agency data systems to improve both the day-to-day administration of justice and increase the capacity to analyze administrative data to improve public safety performance; (Iv) recommendations on developing structures and policies to make these administrative data more accessible to researchers.

The task force shall file its report with the clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the chairs of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary not later than December 31, 2015. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security shall publish the taskforce report on its website.