On March 22, 2021, Hays County will unveil a new public-facing jail population dashboard, developed in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice. Commissioner Lon Shell (Pct. 3) will present the dashboard at a virtual news conference at 9 a.m. (CDT) on Monday, featuring representatives of Vera as well as directly impacted community members, followed by a walk-through of the data and analysis presented in the dashboard for members of the news media and the public.
While local jails are one of the most ubiquitous facets of the justice system, the drivers and consequences of jail incarceration often receive inadequate attention. The Hays County Jail Dashboard will enable timely insight into the Hays County Jail population, furthering good governance, community oversight of the local justice system, and evidence-driven policy reforms.
The Dashboard was developed in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice’s ‘In Our Backyards’ (IOB) initiative. The IOB team developed the innovative Jail Population Project to provide granular, real-time data about local jail populations.
Monday’s news conference will include a walk-through of the dashboard and the opportunity for a public question and answer session via Zoom.
WHEN: Monday, March 22 at 9 a.m. CDT
WHERE: Register to attend the News Conference HERE