QSIDE stands proud in its goal to create a more just and equitable world, and remains committed to supporting others seeking to do the same.

Consider a Donation if You’re Able.

Over the last six months we have been able to accomplish a lot of work we are proud of, but we’re facing a tough reality. As funding for organizations like ours continues to decline, we ask that you please consider donating, so that we can continue our important work during this critical time.

Unlocking Justice

Congratulations to QSIDE Institute co-founder Chad Topaz on his new book Unlocking Justice: The Power of Data to Confront Inequity and Create Change ! The book details the process behind many of QSIDE’s research efforts, investigating: small town police accountability, federal sentencing disparities, Rikers Island, and more! To order a copy today, visit https://chadtopaz.com/book/.

Data4Justice in Action

California Racial Justice Act (CARJA or RJA)

QSIDE is continuing to partner with legal organizations to advance resentencing and release efforts for community members affected by legal-system disparities related to race, ethnicity, or nationality. Alongside providing expert witness testimony in cases that have contributed to successful decarceration outcomes, QSIDE has collaborated with the Office of the State Public Defender to develop an RJA screening tool that analyzes disparities in conviction and post-conviction data from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The tool will be launching soon, with additional details to be shared in the coming months!

The Effects of Judicial Discretion in Pre-Trial Detention and Cash Bail

Cash bail significantly impacts pretrial detention outcomes, and has been shown to contribute to higher conviction rates, harsher sentencing, and lasting employment challenges. QSIDE has received a grant from the Arnold Foundation and is currently studying how standardized bail schedules and related policies affect pretrial detention outcomes. The study will examine whether higher minimum bail amounts increase the length of pretrial detention and assess whether these effects increase racial disparities and recidivism in Florida as a case study.

Research

Judicial Professional Background and Pretrial Detention Outcomes

A recent study by QSIDE and Scrutinize found judicial professional background affects both the likelihood and severity of pretrial detention outcomes. NYC judges with law enforcement backgrounds (e.g. former prosecutors, police officers) set cash bail 32% higher on average (~$9,200) and detain defendants more frequently than judges without those backgrounds. Read more about our findings, and what this costs individuals and the country at large, below:

Inefficiency and Inequity of the Law Review Submission System

Academic and educational equity remain one of QSIDE’s core research pillars. Law reviews, the primary publication market for legal scholarship in the United States, are run by student editors who face thousands of submissions for a handful of slots and rely heavily on institutional prestige as a proxy for article quality. Analyzing the market through a calibrated agent-based simulation, our new study reveals that authors from prestigious institutions receive markedly better placements regardless of the matching mechanism.

QSIDE on Current Events

Turning research into meaningful change often requires bridging the gap between academic work and the people most directly affected by the issues it addresses. To help researchers create those connections, QSIDE partnered with the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) to host a workshop on using public-facing scholarship to inform, engage, and inspire change.

Below are a few of our recent op-eds that use data and evidence to reframe conversations around current policies, events, and accepted norms:

QSIDE Community

ICE Data4Justice Accelerator

This summer, QSIDE completed its first Data4Justice Accelerator focused specifically on ICE activity and detention data, jumpstarting research on a number of research projects shining a light on ICE detention! If you are interested in hosting an accelerator tailored to your area of interest or activism, please contact tyrone.bass@qsideinstitute.org to discuss workshop opportunities, customized curricula, and how QSIDE can help increase your team’s data capacity for justice.

Pharmacy Refusal Lab

Since June 2024, QSIDE has been investigating pharmacy refusal-to-fill incidents in response to growing anecdotal reports and an evolving legal landscape surrounding prescription refusals. The Pharmacy Refusal Lab is currently working to:

Collect firsthand and secondhand accounts of pharmacy refusals from across the country.
Build a comprehensive database of state, local, and pharmacy policies to help people better understand and navigate this complex legal landscape.
Mapp vulnerability to identify which geographies and demographics are most at risk of losing medication access barriers when a pharmacy refuses to fill a prescription.

For more information about pharmacy refusals and the lab’s work, watch our FAQ video created by the Pharmacy Refusal team!

DSPACE Research Group

The Data Science, Police Accountability, Community Engagement (DSPACE) research group has continued to collaborate with the Reinvestigation Workgroup in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on an analysis of co-complaint networks (see poster here). DSPACE was fortunate to receive funding from the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Advanced Study where they will participate in a Research and Creative Collaborative to discuss their work with community members and plan next steps. In addition to this, the group is also investigating how large language models can be used to extract details from police-related news articles (see poster here). We welcome you to reach out, whether you are interested in getting involved, or giving feedback on our recent work!

How to Get Involved

If you would like to support more initiatives like those in this letter, we ask again that you please consider a tax-deductible charitable donation in any amount. Your contribution would go a long way in allowing us to keep pushing forward and making a difference where it matters most.

If you are interested in getting involved in any of the initiatives we have listed directly, or have questions about our work or resources, please contact Tyrone Bass, Director of Operations.

We appreciate your support and belief in our mission—it truly means the world to us.