DATA CAN DRIVE PROGRESS TOWARD OUR GOAL

Data can tell us where we are and how far we need to go. Similar to the dashboard on a car, the development of a Criminal Justice Dashboard can show what the State of Connecticut considers to be important indicators of how the State, and each municipality, is progressing on the outcomes necessary to achieve our goal of having the lowest crime in the nation.

The Dashboard is meant to spur and inform conversations about how to improve results – conversations among families, criminal justice professionals, administrators, policy-makers, the business community, and other interested stakeholders. The Dashboard can inform discussions of key questions such as:

• How many people are in Connecticut jails?
• What are the positive and negative trends for important indicators of progress?
• How is my state doing compared to the rest of the country?
• How are we doing at eliminating gaps?
• What are the areas where progress is slow, where we need to focus additional resources and reforms in order to achieve our goals?