MISSION-ALIGNED METRICS

Share

For too long, a prosecutor’s success has been measured by the number of cases they handle. But new priorities mean new performance standards — ones that align with the long-term goals of public wellness, racial and gender equity, and dignity for all. Sign on if you agree!

Under Lucy’s leadership, the Manhattan DA’s Office will expand its capacity to offer alternatives to incarceration, assess collateral consequences of prosecution, and expand services to victims, and must therefore also modernize the Office’s internal performance metrics. While existing evaluations of prosecutorial success focus largely on traditional case processing and outcomes, under Lucy the Office will track, measure, and incentivize community-based prosecution consistent with the goals of long-term public wellness, racial and gender equity, and dignity for everyone that touches the system.

ADA evaluations can serve as powerful tools in setting Office-wide goals by shifting individual practice to be more in-line with these goals. The following nuanced performance standards that focus on reducing the prison population, reducing pretrial detention, and increasing community engagement will be added to existing performance evaluations. Evaluating ADAs on these factors rather than on the number of cases charged, indicted, and resulting in convictions, will facilitate a broader understanding of the Office’s performance and incentivize ADAs to comply with Lucy’s vision for a more fair administration of justice.

To achieve the following Office goals, Lucy will institute the following accompanying performance metrics:

Goal Measures
Expansion of Responsive Sentences
  • Number of referrals to the ATI Unit
  • Number of referrals to a problem-solving court
  • Number of program-based dispositions
Support for Victims
  • Number of referrals to the Witness Services Unit
Consideration of collateral consequences
  • Number of consultations with the Collateral Consequences Counsel
Community engagement
  • Number of community events attended
  • Extent of participation in outreach activities
Reduced incarceration for nonviolent offenses
  • Percent of nonviolent misdemeanor and felony convictions resulting in a jail/prison sentence
  • Average max time for nonviolent felony and misdemeanor cases sentenced to jail/prison
Timely and efficient administration of justice
  • Average time to disposition for misdemeanors and felonies
  • Average time to dismissal
  • Average time to disposition for cases where individual is detained
Professionalism
  • Feedback from peers and subordinates on
    • fairness
    • ethicality
    • professionalism
    • courtesy