Our Approach
Proximity Through Human-Centered Research
Innovation comes from proximity. Effective, lasting change has to come from people who deeply understand the system as it is today. For Recidiviz, this means Trusted Testers in each of our states who guide the purpose and design of our tools. Our Trusted Testers include individuals currently or formerly incarcerated, as well as the practitioners, such as parole and probation officers. Read PDF
It's important to include the voices of those directly impacted by incarceration; unfortunately, it's not something that is commonly practiced, but one of the most important components to create a supervision experience that is more conducive towards an overall successful reentry and life beyond.
Terrell
Sr. Program Manager, currently on parole, Bronx, NY
This tool has come so far since we first started working together earlier this year. Soliciting our input and then putting it in action and making it something that we enjoy to use has been fantastic. We all appreciate it very much. Great job guys!
Keith Albi
Parole & Probation Officer, Idaho DOC, District 3
Co-developing tools with agencies and communities
Our design method is an ongoing and iterative process that ensures that we are adapting our products to the real needs of both agency staff and communities impacted by the criminal justice system. Our design process follows five basic steps:
- Identify pain points and areas of opportunity for building a safer, smaller, more effective system
- Design tools based on these specific needs, wrapped around existing workflows
- Validate designs with agency users and justice-impacted community members
- Track outcomes against goals to ensure effectiveness
- Iterate designs based on user feedback and impact metrics
Our design process enables us to be strategic partners to corrections agencies, understanding their challenges and co-developing approaches that can improve outcomes.
Our Principles
Our development process is guided by principles that ensure we stay grounded, intentional, and focused on where we can make a difference.
Humility
Tech has a lot to offer, but also a lot to learn. We are here to partner with, listen to, and accelerate the work of people who have spent their lives addressing problems in the criminal justice system.
Non-Partisan
Everyone agrees, it’s going to take unity to re-invent our justice system. We're here to help anyone who wants to build a smaller, more equitable system.
Openness
We design tools and systems that are extensible. All of our work is open source, making it easy for others in the ecosystem (including states) to extend and build on what we create.
Privacy and Security
Our platform is designed specifically for criminal justice data and all of the considerations that come with it. Our tools are built with strong security, privacy, and compliance principles.
