QSIDE is proud to present our Data for Accountability, Transparency, and Advancement to Lower Incarceration for Transformation (DATA2LIFT) initiative. Support for the initiative is provided by the Walmart Foundation through the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity.
Through DATA2LIFT, QSIDE has connected leading researchers with community-based organizations and subject matter experts to create a centralized mechanism to collect and analyze key data related to incarceration on the national, state, and local level. In addition to this centralized data warehouse, the DATA2LIFT initiative is developing a toolkit, and accompanying training workshops, to build capacity within local organizations working to gather and analyze incarceration-related data. DATA2LIFT’s ultimate goals are to provide a greater understanding of what programs and initiatives are most successful in disrupting cycles of incarceration, and allow the field to scale innovations for collective action.
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Community of Practice
We are also proud to announce the launch of the DATA2LIFT Community of Practice, focused on bringing together scholars, data scientists, and community-based organizations that focus on using data and data tools to disrupt cycles of intergenerational incarceration. The broad goal of the CoP will be to bring individuals working in the disruption, diversion, and decarceration spaces who are interested in pooling our collective knowledge, practices, and resources to use data more effectively and efficiently in our collective work. Please contact Tyrone Bass if you are interested in participating.
Opportunity Youth Data Maps
As the next stage in our DATA2LIFT initiative, QSIDE researchers have created an interactive tool for community-based organizations (CBOs) to locate areas in the United States with large populations of Opportunity Youth they wish to impact with their services.
The research uses American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data, produced by the U.S. Census Bureau, to locate geographical areas with large populations of Opportunity Youth, who are defined by five key variables: disconnected youth, youth in the foster care system, justice-involved youth, youth with parental incarceration, and youth who are victims of human trafficking (though this final category is not included in the report, as data remains too sparse). To create the overall Opportunity Youth Index, researchers calculated the average of the four variable’s Z-Scores (statistical measurements that describe a value’s relationship to the mean of a group of values). Take a look at the data to see the results of our research!
The Opportunity Youth data maps tool is free for anyone to view and explore via QSIDE’s TableauPublic page, and there is also an accompanying video that provides step-by-step instructions for navigating the dashboard. Users can begin with the overall Opportunity Youth Index for the United States and then filter data by state and/or the four variables defined above.
Opportunity Youth Datamaps Dashboard | Dashboard Walk-Through Video
New Interactive Data Tool
QSIDE Institute has collaborated with Minneapolis-based research organization InsightWorks to develop a groundbreaking, interactive data tool which helps organizations calculate return on investment (ROI) for programs focused on disrupting intergenerational cycles of incarceration—particularly in Black and brown communities. This tool also assists organizations in using data to inform and shape programming for opportunity youth, further disrupting the cycle of incarceration.
This data tool is currently in beta, and we hope to launch soon for use by the general public. Please email us if you’re interested in learning more!
Ultimately, DATA2LIFT aims to understand what programs are most successful in diverting and deflecting Opportunity Youth and formerly incarcerated individuals and to help scale innovations for collective action in the field. In parallel, the DATA2LIFT initiative is developing a toolkit and training workshops to help local organizations build capacity as they gather and analyze incarceration-related data.
U.S. Census Resources
We created the presentation below, explaining some basics around using U.S. Census data — please feel free to download it for your reference. You can also watch a recent Zoom workshop of this presentation via our YouTube channel here.
Paths to Decarceration: Enhancing Community Safety and Justice
Read our most recent study Paths to Decarceration for more information on incarceration alternatives. For any updates on the DATA2LIFT initiative and opportunities for involvement, become a QSIDE affiliate!
Meet our Research Team!
Aaron Chalfin is an Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, senior fellow at the Niskanen Center and a research affiliate at the University of Chicago Crime Lab where he previously spent two years as Research Director of the Crime Lab’s NYC office.
Aaron’s research focuses on the costs and benefits of policing, the preferences of police officers, place-based crime prevention and the determinants of crime victimization. Recent topics he has studied include the impact of expanding and contracting the size of municipal police departments in the United States, the effects of gang enforcement on community violence and the effects of municipal investments in street lighting on public safety. He is also interested in the advancement of social science research methods and has written on topics such as measurement errors in observational data, measuring spatial crime concentration and the empirical implications of administrative data linking.
Aaron’s research has been published in leading journals in criminology, public policy and economics including Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and American Economic Review: Insights.
Aaron holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. in International and Development Economics from Yale University. He is also an alumnus of the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center where he worked as a research associate from 2006-2008.
Brittany Street is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Missouri and an affiliate of the Truman School of Public Affairs. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A&M University in 2019. Brittany was a postdoctoral fellow with the Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS) at the University of Michigan, where she is still an affiliate.
Her research focuses on the economics of crime and the criminal justice system and has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Law and Economics, and Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
Collins Odhiambo is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at University of California, Los Angeles -UCLA. He lectures both undergraduate and graduate courses. He specialises in statistics and data science. He has done postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University and Medicine at the Center for AIDS Research (JHU CFAR), biostatistics in the area of HIV prevention and treatment models in global health. He also holds a PhD in Applied Statistics at Strathmore University. Collins has more than 10 years experience in lecturing both undergraduate and postgraduate courses more than 14 years experience in HIV programs as an M&E Specialist, having worked with a number of reputable international organizations.
Oluwadamilola (Dammy) Ogunjimi is a graduating senior pursuing degrees in Computer Science and Cloud Engineering at Morgan State University (MSU). Dammy is a Google Tech Scholar and a member of the Machine Intelligence and Data Science (Lab) at MSU.As a junior data scientist and tech developer, she has expertise in cutting-edge projects. With a background in machine learning research, practical and hands-on experience in development, transformation, and implementation Dammy has extensive collaborations with both faculty and external researchers, particularly in regards to data science, data analysis, statistical modeling, and programming
David Antwi is currently a junior pursuing degrees in Computer Science at Morgan State University (MSU) and a member of the Machine Intelligence and Data Science (Lab) at MSU. David has a keen interest in the exciting world of Data Science. He has expertise in research and development generating insightful insights and reasoned decisions. With a focus on machine learning and predictive analytics, David is excited to contribute to the Data Science community.
Dr. Jamell Dacon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Morgan State University as of September 2023, and the Principal Investigator of the MINDS Lab. Dr. Dacon earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Michigan State University (MSU) in 2023, where he is acknowledged as the second Black CSE Ph.D. graduate in the history of the department. His current research spans the areas of Trustworthy AI, Natural Language Processing, Computational Social Science, and Interdisciplinary Data Science. Specifically, he focuses on implementing empirical methods to conceptualize, examine, and mitigate socioethical implications (e.g., bias, stereotypes, and representational harms) of innovative AI technology by highlighting its negative social impacts.
Ifechukwudeni Teddy Oweh is a computer science and mathematics major at Morgan State University with a focus in artificial intelligence and deep learning. With a stellar academic record and a slew of awards, Teddy has garnered extensive experience through internships at tech giants like Apple Inc as an AI/ML Engineering Intern. and cutting-edge research projects at institutions like NASA. Also 3 academia research projects alongside faculty all in the machine learning & deep learning domain. Teddy’s expertise spans across various technologies and domains, from developing ML systems, data science & analysis, building web and mobile applications to low level system and hardware engineering . Teddy’s innovative projects demonstrate a keen understanding of complex systems and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology.
Zofia Stanley (she/her) is an applied mathematician and data scientist. She received her BS in mathematics from Brown University and her PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She did her postdoctoral research at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Physical Sciences Laboratory. Zofia’s research on seawater density has been incorporated into operational climate models. She also co-founded a course on Race and Gender in the Scientific Community, which is now a permanent course offering at Brown University.