Overview

Launched in December 2022, after several years in development, this interactive data dashboard is intended to increase transparency about the work that OAG does every day to improve public safety across the District and to promote fairness and accountability in the justice system. This type of data has also been used by academics, researchers, social scientists, and others who evaluate and assess crime, criminal justice, and other social factors.   

This initial installment of the dashboard provides information on prosecutorial decision-making and case outcomes for traffic and adult criminal misdemeanor cases for which OAG has prosecutorial authority.

This data relates to a relatively small sliver of adult prosecutions; the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia prosecutes the vast majority of adult criminal cases, including all felony offenses. OAG’s prosecutorial authority is limited to traffic offenses, such as impaired driving; certain misdemeanor offenses, such as possession of an unregistered firearm and indecent exposure; and regulatory criminal offenses, such as illegal dumping and unlicensed business practices. The vast majority of adult criminal cases in the District, including all felony offenses, are presented to and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  See below for a breakdown of the types of offenses that OAG prosecutes.

OAG plans to continue to build out this data dashboard in the future. For instance, OAG will soon update the dashboard to include mapping of offense locations, data on diversion decisions, and downloadable data files containing incident-level data. OAG is also exploring whether and to what extent the District’s strict juvenile confidentiality laws might permit OAG to present data on juvenile cases.

What Is On The Data Portal

The Prosecution Data Portal provides information on adult cases reviewed and prosecuted by OAG.

Criminal cases come to OAG initially from law enforcement agencies. If a law enforcement officer suspects a person has committed a crime for which OAG has prosecutorial authority, that officer presents either an arrest or arrest warrant to OAG.

OAG’s prosecutorial authority over adults is limited. OAG only has authority to prosecute traffic offenses, such as impaired driving; certain misdemeanors when committed by an adult, such as possession of an unregistered firearm and indecent exposure; and regulatory criminal offenses, such as illegal dumping and unlicensed business practices. The data on this page reflects OAG’s decision making related to these matters. 

The vast majority of adult criminal cases in the District, including all felony offenses, are presented to and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In some circumstances, OAG shares prosecuting authority with the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO). In these instances, only cases that were presented to and reviewed by OAG are reported.

This first installment of the Data Portal consists of a series of interactive dashboards showing aggregate (District-wide) statistics regarding cases OAG has reviewed and prosecuted, as well as the outcomes of prosecuted cases.

Subsequent additions to the Prosecution Data Portal will include:

  • Data on diversions and alternatives to prosecution;
  • Maps linking the geographic area in the District, where an offense occurred, to prosecution and disposition metrics; and
  • Anonymized case-level data that can be downloaded for users to conduct their own analyses;

The Prosecution Data Portal is intended to provide transparency into OAG’s prosecutorial decision making to help create a more fair and equitable justice system.

Data Sources

The data presented in this portal is derived from OAG employees, the Metropolitan Police Department, and other sources. The data has been cleaned, meaning it has undergone quality-assurance checks and reviewed for accuracy. Please note that the data reported in the portal may vary from other publicly reported data, due to, among other reasons, differences in the way that specific metrics are defined and differences in the way that the data has been cleaned.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Data Portal Metrics

Beginning in March 2020, OAG modified its decision-making to help curb the spread of Covid-19. To minimize the spread of the virus and protect human life, OAG approved custodial arrests only where necessary to protect public safety. Where consistent with public safety, OAG delayed approving some arrest warrants and judicial summonses and agreed to continue cases until after the emergency subsided. Because the DC Superior Court severely limited its operations during the pandemic, OAG also sought to quickly resolve matters with minimal judicial involvement, including by diverting less serious cases to reduce the back log and ensure that more serious cases could move forward when court operations resumed. The effect of this modified process is reflected in the data for cases opened between approximately March 16, 2020 and June 10, 2022, when the court fully reopened.

Links

Cases Reviewed

  • Data regarding OAG’s initial review of arrests and requests for arrest warrants.

Cases Disposed

  • Data on the status of prosecuted cases, open or closed.

Cases Disposed by Type

  • Data on the resolution of prosecuted cases, such as through a plea agreement, trial, or dismissal.