The bill aims to enhance data collection and reporting within the Massachusetts criminal justice system through the Justice Reinvestment Policy Oversight Board, which was established in 2018. It mandates the Board to submit an annual report by July 1, assessing compliance with data collection requirements among criminal justice agencies. Key provisions include the introduction of a statewide unique identification number for tracking individuals, the establishment of standards for reporting recidivism rates and demographic data, and the creation of a cross-agency tracking system. The bill emphasizes the importance of making this data publicly accessible via an application programming interface (API) and outlines significant milestones such as the integration of data from various agencies and the publication of public dashboards.

Furthermore, the legislation seeks to improve transparency and accountability by establishing a comprehensive Criminal Justice Cross-Tracking System, which will include the publication of data dashboards on mass.gov. These dashboards will provide insights into demographics, recidivism rates, and other key indicators, with a focus on tracking recidivism by race, ethnicity, gender, and age. The bill introduces new standards for data collection and reporting, particularly regarding race and ethnicity, and requires coordination among criminal justice agencies to ensure accurate demographic reporting. Overall, the legislation aims to enhance the integrity, accuracy, and consistency of information within the criminal justice system while promoting public access to this data.