Law Commons^™

Defending Data, Pamela R. Metzger

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Defending Data proposes a data-driven, systems-based approach to improving public defense in America.

Public defenders represent millions of defendants every year. Yet, public defense remains a largely data-less enterprise, a black box of discretionary decisions disconnected from any systemic analysis about the relationship between defender practices and case outcomes. Defending Data adopts a novel approach to the crisis of public defense. Building off of the successful implementation of system-based approaches in other complex, high-risk industries such as aviation and medicine, Defending Data explains how defenders can develop a data-driven systems approach to public defense.

Defending Data begins by describing the …