El Paso County: Pioneering Data-Driven Governance to Enhance Efficiency and Support Justice Reform
El Paso County, TX
El Paso County, Texas, has emerged as a national leader in leveraging data to enhance transparency, efficiency, and innovation across county government. What began as a focused effort to improve court performance metrics has expanded into a comprehensive data-driven approach that supports decision-making, improves resource allocation, ensures financial accountability, and fosters trust in public institutions. In an era of budget constraints and cutbacks, this data-driven approach has enabled El Paso to enhance efficiencies, secure grants, and identify areas for improvement.
The Foundation of Data-Driven Justice Reform
El Paso County’s commitment to data-driven governance dates back to 2015, when the El Paso County Commissioners Court implemented justice reform as a strategic goal. Simultaneously, Chief Administrator Betsy Keller convened a collaborative workgroup to track and publish court metrics. Initially inspired by the "CourTools" framework developed by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), the county implemented key performance indicators and made them public on the County’s website. This took a tremendous amount of collaboration between County officials, the Council of Judges, and many other key stakeholders. It also yielded valuable data, including the cost per case and age of active caseloads.
Recognizing the power of data beyond industry standards, El Paso County expanded its efforts. In 2024, it became one of the first jurisdictions to incorporate metrics for Justice of the Peace and Family courts and track jail days consumed by court activity, creating a more comprehensive view of the justice system’s impact. Coupling the fact that it was costing the County and its taxpayers about $100 a day to house a defendant with this information really helped bring the financial impacts to light, not to mention the social justice impacts being jailed brings.
The County has publicly published all of these outcomes on their public website at epcounty.com/judicialmanagement.
In a significant cost-saving measure, El Paso County consolidated over 30 positions from various departments to create its pretrial services program, rather than starting a new program from scratch. This strategic move optimized existing resources, making the initiative much more cost-effective. The County also hired a Deputy County Administrator to oversee the departments that support the justice system. “One of the best decisions we made was hiring Joel Bishop, a national thought leader on justice reform whose DNA is all about data.” said Keller. “The County now works through data to show the impacts on recidivism and costs to taxpayers so Judges can make informed decisions when determining who should be held in jail before trial.”
Joel Bishop states that ones of the best decision he made was hiring his Research Analysts, Jose Debora and Jacob Meils, who are experts at data analysis and utilizing Power BI and Tableau. “They have done internal research and created dashboards that would have cost us millions to outsource”, said Joel Bishop. “Further, these dashboards have helped us to gain grant funding and provide valuable efficacy information to our county government.”
Expanding Data Initiatives Beyond the Courts
El Paso County’s approach to data utilization extends far beyond justice reform. The county has cultivated a broader culture of data transparency, developing tools that serve various sectors of governance. This commitment is evident in:
Community Services Dashboards: Key Metrics from the County’s Community Services Department are in development:
Countywide Strategic Planning Metrics: The commissioners court strategic plan is tracked using real-time dashboards, allowing the public to monitor progress and potential delays.
Public Judicial Management Platform: Provides real-time access to court performance reports and trends in judicial efficiency.
Justice Leadership Coordinating Council (JLCC) Data Dashboard: A comprehensive dashboard developed by the local JLCC, offering insights into key justice system metrics. This is the result of years of collaboration with the Council of Judges, County Administration and research staff.
Health and Justice Data Integration: An ongoing initiative with the Paso Del Norte Health Information Exchange (PHIX) to analyze the intersection of health and justice, particularly in managing jail medical costs and identifying health trends among justice-involved populations.
Countywide Health Data: Interactive health dashboards from local healthcare providers offer key insights into community wellness strategies.
Failure to Appear (FTA) Rate Analysis: Data tracking on virtual court proceedings revealed a significant drop in FTA rates, showcasing technology’s role in improving judicial accessibility and efficiency.
Countywide Department Dashboards: Dashboards for animal welfare, community services, and other departments enhance operational visibility and service effectiveness.
Pretrial Research Assessment Validation: Recognized by the National Association of Pretrial Services, El Paso’s gold-standard pretrial outcome assessment measures appearance rates and crime rates, with recent validation from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Animal Welfare Dashboards: Tracking key metrics for our Animal Welfare Department.
Timeline of Achievements in Justice Reform
2015: The Commissioner Court makes justice reform a strategic priority.
2016: Establishment of a court performance tracking workgroup.
2017: Implementation of the "Courtools" framework.
2019: Expansion of court data initiatives, including tracking clearance rates and trial date certainty.
2020: Introduction of virtual court data tracking, reducing failure-to-appear rates.
2021: Expansion of data-driven decision-making to pretrial services and jail management.
2022: Launch of the Justice Leadership Coordinating Council (JLCC) Data Dashboard.
2023: Integration of health and justice data with PHIX to assess medical cost impacts.
2023: Development of dashboards for animal welfare and community services.
2024: Expansion of data transparency to Justice of the Peace courts and countywide department dashboards.
2024: Introduction of interactive public court dashboards for broader civic engagement.
Awards and Recognitions
El Paso County Courthouse
El Paso County’s groundbreaking efforts in justice reform and data-driven governance have earned numerous accolades, including:
2024 Texas Association of Counties Best Practices Awards
AI-Powered Self-Service Kiosks
Awarded for excellence in implementing kiosks to improve access to county and justice information.Volunteer Program
Recognized for enhancing community involvement, improving service delivery, and reducing costs.
2023 Pretrial Services Program of the Year
Awarded by the Texas Association of Pretrial Services
Recognized for implementing best practices across various levels of the pretrial process.
2020 and 2021 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards
Pretrial Justice Modernization: This program was recognized as "Best in Category" in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety sector.
Fighting Food Insecurity: This initiative also received a "Best in Category" award in Community and Economic Development for research highlighting food insecurity in the county.
2020 Crown Communities Award
Awarded by American City & County
Honored for innovative data-driven justice reform and transparency efforts.
These awards highlight El Paso County’s leadership in leveraging data to improve its justice system and increase government transparency.
Leveraging Data for Smarter Decision-Making
The county’s comprehensive data platforms empower policymakers, stakeholders, and the public to make informed decisions. By analyzing real-time and historical data, officials can:
Identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks in government services.
Optimize resource allocation to enhance service delivery.
Ensure equity and transparency in decision-making processes.
Develop targeted interventions that improve overall county operations.
A Model for Modern Governance
El Paso County’s embrace of data-driven solutions has led to measurable benefits, including:
Reduced Case Backlogs: Streamlined processes that improve the pace of justice.
Informed Budgeting and Resource Allocation: Ensuring taxpayer dollars are used efficiently.
Enhanced Public Trust: Making government operations more transparent and accountable.
The county’s data initiatives extend beyond the justice system, setting a precedent for how local governments can use analytics to drive efficiency, innovation, and better public service outcomes.
El Paso Remains Among the Safest Cities
El Paso, Texas, has long been recognized for its exceptional safety among large U.S. cities. In 2022, the El Paso Police Department reported 1,692 crimes per 100,000 residents, placing it among the top ten safest cities in the nation. Notably, only Frisco and Laredo, both smaller in population, recorded lower crime rates within Texas (elpasomatters.org).
This reputation for safety is not new. Between 1997 and 2014, El Paso consistently ranked among the top three safest large cities in the United States, even holding the title of the safest city from 2011 to 2014 (en.wikipedia.org).
An analysis of FBI crime data in 2023 further demonstrated that U.S. border cities, including El Paso, maintained homicide rates significantly lower than the national average (axios.com).
Several factors contribute to El Paso's enduring safety, including a strong law enforcement presence, proactive policing, and community engagement initiatives. With approximately one officer for every 219 residents, the city surpasses both state and national averages in law enforcement coverage (inspiredbyinsiders.com).
Conclusion
El Paso County’s journey from basic court metrics to a robust, publicly accessible data platform underscores the transformative power of transparency, collaboration, and innovation. By integrating data across various governmental functions—from justice reform to public health to community services—the county continues to lead in modernizing governance. This helps the County learn to do more with less, like we are seeing with other cities and counties across the nation.
As more communities nationwide strive for data-driven improvements, El Paso County stands as a model of how leadership and technology can drive meaningful change. To explore more, visit the Judicial Management website or the JLCC data dashboard.
Authors:
Joel Bishop is the Deputy County Administrator for Community and Justice Support Services in El Paso County, Texas.
Betsy C. Keller is the Chief Administrator for El Paso County, Texas