Did you know that some states do not provide access to statistical data? Today, I tried to look up information on teen sentencing to compare race and age, only to discover that the data doesn’t exist in some states. This is a systemic design flaw rooted in the historical Southern Strategy.

States often publish just enough data to appear transparent but not enough to allow for meaningful comparisons. Comparisons are crucial because they reveal bias, and uncovering bias can lead to lawsuits, which in turn can drive reform.

For example, states like Texas publish data in fragments, making it impossible to compare outcomes. This leads us to the importance of comparisons: How do we assess or attain due process and fairness without comparison?

It’s essential to connect fairness to constitutional rights: “Equal Protection and Due Process require transparency.

Honestly, there have been several Teen Crime cases in the news. It made me curious enough to search and compare teen crime statistics. Unfortunately, the system’s lack of transparency made it tough, leading me to this conclusion: If you can’t measure fairness, you can’t enforce fairness. As voters, we must address this issue to ensure true equity in our justice system because it could quickly become a National trend!

Nativegrl77