PCE, Author at Prosecutors' Center for Excellence

Using Surveys to Inform Prosecutor Training Needs (2021)

Summit County District Attorney’s Office (Akron, OH)

Population: 541,013 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 63 | Contact Information

As a new office strategy, grand jurors and trial jurors are asked to survey the performance of prosecutors and other justice partners to identify training needs and promote better case preparation. The use of surveys has also been expanded to address staff concerns about working conditions, such as office safety protocols in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office (San Diego, CA)

Population: 3,343,360 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 324 | Contact Information

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office (SDCDA) is using specialized software to notify domestic violence victims of case updates through a series of texts that provide the name and telephone number of the assigned deputy district attorney; the decision on whether to proceed with the case; a variety of ways to obtain victim services; and, links to a supporting website with FAQs and local resources. Funded by an original grant from Innovative Prosecution Solutions, the software sent text message warnings to domestic violence suspects in cases when charges could not be filed.

Monroe County District Attorney’s Office (Rochester, NY)

Population: 741,770 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 85 | Contact Information

The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office is asking jurors to survey the grand jury process and the performance of prosecutors and other justice partners during their service. While juror concerns are used to inform prosecutor training needs, positive comments are also shared with the office as part of a popular employee recognition program. This recognition is highly desired by prosecutors.

Amending Case Review Policies to Reduce Disparate Impact of Non-Safety Traffic Stops (2021)

Ingham County District Attorney’s Office (Lansing, MI)

Population: 292,406 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 34 | Contact Information

In the Ingham County District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors are no longer filing cases that result from non-safety traffic stops, even where contraband may be discovered. The rationale behind this innovation is to reduce the disparate impact that such stops have on communities of color. Nationwide, drivers of color are disproportionately stopped and searched at a higher rate than similarly situated white drivers, even though searches of white drivers were more likely to result in the recovery of illegal contraband.

Davis County District Attorney’s Office (Farmington, UT)

Population: 355,481 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 19 | Contact Information

The Davis County District Attorney’s Office has engaged community volunteers to establish the Conviction Integrity Unit which runs independently of the office to review convictions from the jurisdiction.

An essential part of a prosecutor’s work is uncovering actual innocence through conviction review. PCE has developed a roadmap for offices of any size seeking to implement or enhance a Conviction Review Unit or a conviction review process.

Ramsey County (MN) Attorney John Choi and Lucy Lang, former Director of the Institute for Innovation (IIP) in Prosecution, discuss an officer-involved fatalities toolkit spearheaded by IIP.

Watch here. (26 minutes)