Whatcom County committee reviews interim Justice Project data dashboard, urges clearer measures and public testing

Members of the Justice Project Oversight and Planning (JPop) Committee reviewed an interim data dashboard on Jan. 15, 2026, as staff moved to consolidate existing program and criminal-legal system data into a single public-facing tool.

"This interim data dashboard has...what it is, and I wanna tell you what it is not," a staff presenter said, describing the product as a centralized warehouse of existing point-in-time and regularly collected data intended to surface outputs now while the team works toward a living dashboard that can track outcomes over time. The dashboard organizes measures around three questions from the results-based accountability framework: how much are we doing, how well are we doing it, and is anyone better off.

Committee members praised the work and requested key clarifications. "So I really I love the breakdown," one member said, urging the group to define specific measures rather than leaving only the question headings. Members asked that indicators tie back to the VillageReach evaluation and performance measurement plan and stressed the need for standard definitions across programs.

Several speakers flagged limitations in the interim data. One committee member asked whether the dashboard could show repeated admissions to crisis or detox services — "high utilizers" — and staff explained that some pages show unduplicated versus duplicated counts but that longitudinal tracking across years is limited by current data availability and quality. Staff acknowledged a numeric correction to the packet (a 2025 count should read 717) and committed to fixing it in the final materials.

Members also pressed for demographic detail and cautioned about interpretation. Pamela (committee participant) highlighted the value of five-year post-enrollment mental health court outcomes and asked for reasons for unsuccessful completions. Another member raised a legal caveat: changes in criminal law over the reporting period, including the "Blake decision," may have changed felony-designation counts and should be noted when interpreting long-term trends.

Staff said the interim dashboard will link to existing sources — the Justice Project progress tracker, FAB reports, and the Whatcom Health Insights pages — and that county design staff will create a web layout. The plan is to post an interim public version in Q1, following a period of internal preview and a suggested public tester.

The committee urged improvements before launch: attach standards or target benchmarks where appropriate (for example, a target of roughly 50 days from arrest to program entry was discussed for mental health court), add consistent trend markers or a 'no trend yet' indicator where data are insufficient, and expand data notes to explain gaps. Staff agreed to gather follow-up materials, add clarifying notes, and present corrected figures at the next meeting.

The meeting closed with staff promising to circulate updated materials and a test site for feedback prior to the dashboard going fully public.