Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) has an extensive history of data-driven decision making. Whenever possible we strive to use data to create, adjust and implement our policies, practices and programs. The Research and Evaluation unit is excited to share this data with both our internal and external partners in the form of a dashboard. A dashboard is a visual presentation of key measures that are relevant to our mission of public safety through positive change. Dashboards typically focus on performance over time (trend data) and help readers understand the “big picture”.
Two new reports became available in December, 2010. The reports, one for the Juvenile Division and one for the Adult Division, focus on recidivism, restitution and case closures to name a few. Within each report, the reader will find a description of a measure, why the measure is important, and a discussion of the graph that presents the data over time. Some of the key findings include:
Adult Services Division
- Multnomah County has a higher percentage of offenders whose cases close positively than the overall State percentage.
- Recidivism for Multnomah County’s probationers has been trending below that of the State since 2002.
Juvenile Services Division
- The number of criminal referrals over time as well as the number of unduplicated youth over time that come to the door of JSD is continuing to decline.
- Multnomah County juvenile recidivism rates have continued to decline since 2005.
Additional data and reports are continually posted with the Research and Evaluation Unit