Prosecutorial data is systematically unavailable for assessing racial disparities

Evidence

Most prosecutorial offices do not have reliable data to assess racial disparities given that electronic case tracking systems (and not all offices have them) are not designed for research purposes. Many vital data points—such as plea offers or non-evidentiary dismissal reasons—are seldom recorded. Researchers also find it very difficult to access the existing prosecutorial data, and despite the fact that researcher-prosecutorial partnerships are more feasible now than ever before, the stark disconnect remains. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 551

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the author’s broader bias-in-justice-system thesis across this book and to Shayne Jones’s earlier chapters on measurement problems.