Cook County State’s Attorney Announces Summer 2023 Data Workshop
CHICAGO – State's Attorney Kim Foxx today announced that the Cook County State's Attorney's Office (CCSAO) will once again host a "Hacking 4 Justice" (H4J) two-day, in-person data training workshop this July 15 and 16. First piloted in 2018 as part of the State’s Attorney’s unprecedented data transparency agenda, Hacking 4 Justice has since become an independent organization offering free, inclusive, positive data training events to Cook County residents.
"Since the beginning, I have been committed to making the CCSAO the most transparent prosecutor's office in the nation, starting with a pipeline and an expectation for the ongoing release of our data," said State's Attorney Foxx. “However, it is not enough just to make data available without context or support. Our responsibility also includes offering training and workshops to empower community members to engage with the data themselves, regardless of technical background.”
The July H4J workshop will convene several dozen community members who will learn about the application of data analysis in the criminal justice system from a volunteer team of professional analysts, technical coaches, and educators who contribute their time and expertise to help others learn more about statistical programming. Over the course of the workshop, participants, most of whom have never written code before, will learn “R” programming, the coding language for statistical computing and graphics, and conduct original, self-directed analysis using CCSAO case-level data.
The workshop will conclude with participants sharing their findings and what they discovered about the work of the CCSAO. Past participants include journalists, researchers, members of law enforcement, activists, and residents of Cook County interested in learning more about statistics in criminal justice.
"Seeing community members who care deeply about criminal justice and public safety learn new technical skills and interact with the open data we produce for them is extremely rewarding," said CCSAO Chief Data Officer Matthew Saniie. "Supporting, learning from, and sharing our data is one of my team's highest priorities, and we are always excited to see what comes from each Hacking 4 Justice workshop."
More information about the SAO's open case-level data releases covered at H4J workshops can be found on the Open Data page.
Community members who are interested in learning more about H4J can visit Hacking4Justice.org or visit h4j.org/July2023-Apply to apply to participate in the July workshop.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) is the nation’s second-largest prosecutor’s office and is led by Cook County’s first Black woman State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx. Foxx brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Cook County, no matter their race, income, or zip code. Foxx has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to intercept the cycles of violence and crime and bringing change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow @SAKimFoxx on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and @CookCountySAO on Twitter and Facebook.