Measures for Justice

Measures for Justice (MFJ) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system in the United States through the development of data tools. Founded in 2011 by Amy Bach, a renowned expert in the field of criminal justice and author of the award-winning book Ordinary Injustice: How America Holds Court, MFJ aims to bring transparency, accessibility, and accountability to the criminal justice system.

The primary mission of MFJ is to create a fully transparent, accessible, and accountable criminal justice system. The organization is committed to developing data tools that enable communities and the institutions that serve them to reshape the criminal justice system. MFJ is based on a set of values that guide all of the organization's decisions and actions, including promoting transparency, accountability, and community engagement[1][2][5].

MFJ has developed a comprehensive methodology to collect, standardize, and publish criminal justice data across all counties in the USA. The organization offers a range of tools and platforms, including:

• Data Portal: A user-friendly online platform that allows filtering of criminal justice data by age, gender, race/ethnicity, offense type and severity, as well as attorney type. This platform includes data from over 370 counties in several states and is regularly updated[3][5].
• Commons: A data dashboard platform that helps communities and institutions monitor criminal justice data and track policy goals. Commons promotes data-driven decision-making and community discussions[5].
• Policing Measures: MFJ is working on developing national policing measures that enable communities to understand and shape the policing system through easily understandable data[5].

MFJ has several significant initiatives and goals to improve the criminal justice system:

• Data Collection and Standardization: MFJ collects data from state court records and local authorities to create a consistent and comparable data foundation. This allows for the identification and correction of systemic issues[3][5].
• Legislative Support: Through its work, legislators in states like Florida and Connecticut have passed laws mandating the uniform collection of criminal justice data. This leads to better coordination and transparency within the system[3].
• Community Engagement: MFJ is deeply engaged in the community and collaborates with local authorities, attorneys, judges, and community groups to develop and implement data-driven solutions[2][5].

MFJ has significant partnerships with organizations such as the Department of Justice, the Pershing Square Foundation, Google, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the MacArthur Foundation. These partnerships and funding enable MFJ to comprehensively pursue its mission and further develop its tools and platforms[3][4][5].

Through its work, Measures for Justice makes a vital contribution to creating a fairer, more transparent, and accountable criminal justice system in the United States.

• 1 - https://measuresforjustice.org/who-we-are/about-us/
• 2 - https://measuresforjustice.org
• 3 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measures_for_Justice
• 4 - https://www.macfound.org/grantee/measures-for-justice-45866/
• 5 - https://www.drkfoundation.org/organization/measures-for-justice/