May 27, 2026 — The Center for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE) at the University of Memphis is launching a new research unit dedicated to improving the transparency, accessibility and usability of Shelby County’s criminal justice data.
The CLEAR Initiative (Criminal and Legal Evaluation using Administrative Records) will harmonize data sources from five Shelby County agencies, making it easier to track outcomes as cases progress through the criminal justice system. The CLEAR Initiative was established with the support of a two-year, $300,000 grant from the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, in partnership with the administrations of Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, District Attorney Steve Mulroy, General Sessions Court Clerk Tamara Sawyer, Mayor Lee Harris and Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr.
By integrating administrative records from the jail, courts and prosecutors, CLEAR will make it possible — for the first time in Shelby County — to follow cases end to end.
“Right now, criminal justice data lives in silos,” said Dr. Jonathan Bennett, director of the CLEAR Initiative and chief data scientist at CCRE. “We can analyze data from the jail, or from a specific court, or from prosecutors — but not how those pieces fit together in a meaningful way. CLEAR will allow reporting and research built on a true 360-degree view of case outcomes.”
A core early deliverable of the initiative will be a public-facing data dashboard, scheduled for release within CLEAR’s first six months. The dashboard will provide accessible, high-quality information on case processing and outcomes, strengthening transparency and accountability across the system. Beyond public reporting, CLEAR is designed to build durable data infrastructure that enables county agencies to take an evidence-based approach to evaluating programs and policies, as well as better compete for external implementation funding.
“Better data leads to better outcomes,” Bennett said. “For years, elected officials have identified data interoperability and transparency as among the county’s highest public safety priorities. CLEAR lays the foundation for data-driven solutions that can benefit the community for years to come.”
For more information on CLEAR, visit memphis.edu/clear, or email CLEAR director Dr. Jonathan Bennett at clear@memphis.edu.
QUOTES
Floyd Bonner, Jr., Shelby County Sheriff:
“As Sheriff of Shelby County, I am excited to support the launch of the new CLEAR initiative. This program is designed to strengthen the way the Sheriff’s Office shares and integrates information with the Criminal Court Clerk, General Sessions Court Clerk, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Shelby County Mayor’s Office. By streamlining communication and improving data sharing between our agencies, we will be able to serve our community more efficiently and effectively. I am confident that the CLEAR initiative will help us work together, make smarter decisions, and deliver better results for all the people of Shelby County. We are committed to building a safer, more transparent, and more responsive justice system for everyone.”
Lee Harris, Shelby County Mayor:
“Shelby County Government is pleased to partner with the University of Memphis on the CLEAR Initiative, which will improve public transparency and help our justice agencies use data better to guide decision-making. This project builds on a three-year partnership between my administration and the University’s Center for Community Research and Evaluation to track outcomes in Shelby County’s pretrial detention system. By expanding that approach to other parts of the criminal justice system, CLEAR will strengthen accountability, support smarter policy, and deliver better results for our community.”
Heidi Kuhn, Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk:
“We believe transparency and collaboration are essential to meaningful progress. The Criminal Court Clerk’s Office is proud to partner with the Center for Community Research and Evaluation at the University of Memphis and our fellow government agencies through the CLEAR Initiative to support research that helps strengthen and better inform our community.”
Steve Mulroy, Shelby County District Attorney:
“I’ve been interested in data sharing among criminal justice agencies since my Crime Summit in late 2023. We have to break down silos, build systems that can communicate with one another, and report consistent, uniform metrics that the public can easily understand. I have great faith that the UofM’s CCRE, a trusted and reliable resource, will be able to facilitate that.”
Tami Sawyer, Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk:
“The General Sessions Court Clerk’s Office is proud to join the University of Memphis, the CCRE, and our Shelby County Justice agency partners in launching the CLEAR initiative. CLEAR is one of many partnerships strengthened through the CCRE’s involvement in the Shelby County Interagency Justice Operations Workgroup, and it moves us forward in our shared mission to make justice data and outcomes clearer and easier to access for every Shelby County resident. Innovation and access are core values for my office, and bringing our data together in an understandable, public‑facing way will help residents connect more easily with the process and engage cases with greater confidence. Our community deserves a justice system that people can understand and trust. I’m excited to see how CLEAR will help strengthen the path toward a more open, informed justice system.”
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