Utah Code § 63M-7-216

Current through the 2024 Fourth Special Session
Section 63M-7-216 - Prosecutorial data collection - Policy transparency
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Commission" means the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice created in Section 63M-7-201.
(b)
(i) "Criminal case" means a case where an offender is charged with an offense for which a mandatory court appearance is required under the Uniform Bail Schedule.
(ii) "Criminal case" does not mean a case for criminal non-support under Section 76-7-201 or any proceeding involving collection or payment of child support, medical support, or child care expenses by or on behalf of the Office of Recovery Services under Section 26B-9-108 or 76-7-202.
(c) "Offense tracking number" means a distinct number applied to each criminal offense by the Bureau of Criminal Identification.
(d) "Pre-filing diversion" means an agreement between a prosecutor and an individual prior to being charged with a crime, before an information or indictment is filed, in which the individual is diverted from the traditional criminal justice system into a program of supervision and supportive services in the community.
(e) "Post-filing diversion" is as described in Section 77-2-5.
(f) "Prosecutorial agency" means the Office of the Attorney General and any city, county, or district attorney acting as a public prosecutor.
(g) "Publish" means to make aggregated data available to the general public.
(2) Beginning July 1, 2021, all prosecutorial agencies within the state shall submit the following data with regards to each criminal case referred to it from a law enforcement agency to the commission for compilation and analysis:
(a) the defendant's:
(i) full name;
(ii) offense tracking number;
(iii) date of birth; and
(iv) zip code;
(b) referring agency;
(c) whether the prosecutorial agency filed charges, declined charges, initiated a pre-filing diversion, or asked the referring agency for additional information;
(d) if charges were filed, the case number and the court in which the charges were filed;
(e) all charges brought against the defendant;
(f) whether bail was requested and, if so, the requested amount;
(g) the date of initial discovery disclosure;
(h) whether post-filing diversion was offered and, if so, whether it was entered;
(i) if post-filing diversion or other plea agreement was accepted, the date entered by the court; and
(j) the date of conviction, acquittal, plea agreement, dismissal, or other disposition of the case.
(3)
(a) The information required by Subsection (2), including information that was missing or incomplete at the time of an earlier submission but is presently available, shall be submitted within 90 days of the last day of March, June, September, and December of each year for the previous 90-day period in the form and manner selected by the commission.
(b) If the last day of the month is a Saturday, Sunday, or state holiday, the information shall be submitted on the next working day.
(4) The prosecutorial agency shall maintain a record of all information collected and transmitted to the commission for 10 years.
(5) The commission shall include in the plan required by Subsection 63M-7-204(1)(k) an analysis of the data received, comparing and contrasting the practices and trends among and between prosecutorial agencies in the state. The Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee may request an in-depth analysis of the data received annually. Any request shall be in writing and specify which data points the report shall focus on.
(6) The commission may provide assistance to prosecutorial agencies in setting up a method of collecting and reporting data required by this section.
(7) Beginning January 1, 2021, all prosecutorial agencies shall publish specific office policies. If the agency does not maintain a policy on a topic in this subsection, the agency shall affirmatively disclose that fact. Policies shall be published online on the following topics:
(a) screening and filing criminal charges;
(b) plea bargains;
(c) sentencing recommendations;
(d) discovery practices;
(e) prosecution of juveniles, including whether to prosecute a juvenile as an adult;
(f) collection of fines and fees;
(g) criminal and civil asset forfeiture practices;
(h) services available to victims of crime, both internal to the prosecutorial office and by referral to outside agencies;
(i) diversion programs; and
(j) restorative justice programs.

Utah Code § 63M-7-216

Amended by Chapter 108, 2024 General Session ,§ 7, eff. 3/13/2024.
Amended by Chapter 330, 2023 General Session ,§ 8, eff. 5/3/2023.
Added by Chapter 200, 2020 General Session ,§ 3, eff. 5/12/2020.

Technically renumbered to avoid duplication of section number also enacted in HB340, Chapter 433, HB206, Chapter 185, and HB206, Chpater 185.