Polis is involved in a new cross-site study with The Urban Institute and the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative through the Catalyst Grant Program to advance racial equity in the criminal legal system in three areas: prevention, policing, and prosecution. Polis is collaborating with the Kheprw Institute on the project, Identifying Disparities in Arrest and Prosecution Data in Indianapolis.
We will analyze data on arrests, jailing, and charging decisions and identify disparities related to race, ethnicity, or sex. Findings will be shared through community conversations, workshops, and a public report.
The goal of this work is to build a more informed public that can better recognize inequalities in the legal system, participate in the political process to reduce those inequalities, and improve the legal system in Indianapolis.
Polis also received a 2021 Catalyst grant for Analyzing Data to Advance Police Reform in Indianapolis, in which it worked with Faith in Indiana to equip Marion County communities with data about the local justice system to understand jail population trends and help shape reform.
