HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A new dashboard allows the public to check on the status of many criminal cases in Harris County at any given time.
The tool was developed through a collaborative effort between the Harris County District Attorney's Office and the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute at the University of Houston.
The dashboard pulls information from nearly 1 million criminal cases since 2015. It's designed to provide the public with a look at the local judicial system.
The following information was provided by the Harris County District Attorney's Office:
"The dashboard features troves of information regarding criminal cases pending in Harris County, broken down by type and court, as well as information on sentencings, trials, dismissals and other aspects of the justice system. In keeping with the principles of transparent government, we aim to foster a sense of openness and draw informed public participation in the years to come."
The data will show how many criminal cases are filed in Harris County each year as well as how many defendants have been sentenced to prison or probation. It will also show how many pending cases there are, among other things.
The free tool "consolidates data commonly used within our local justice system, while maintaining privacy for victims and the accused, allowing a clear and comprehensive understanding of the workings of the justice system in Harris County," the DA's office said.
KHOU 11 News was told the developers are planning to add a section where people can anonymously ask questions about certain cases and how the tool works.