Did you Know?

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in Oakland, California spearheaded the Justice Restoration Project (ACJRP) for felony offenders to reduce recidivism by providing peer support and resources to offenders.

To combat the opioid crisis, prosecutors and their partners must adopt multi-disciplinary approaches that provide solutions on a case-by-case basis. This report provides guidance for prosecutors on investigative steps and decision making, various examples of how prosecutor offices of all sizes have addressed these complex issues, and a self-survey to evaluate an office’s capacity to handle opioid-related challenges.

On February 4, 2021, PCE hosted a Pop-Up discussion on prosecutor diversion programs; here are the presentations and materials:

Prosecutors are problem-solvers for their communities and Crime Strategies Units (CSUs) are a key pillar in this problem-solving approach. By working collaboratively with the community, the police and prosecutors, a CSU seeks to improve public safety by using data to understand crime trends, identify those who drive crime and find solutions to prevent crime.

On January 11, 2021, PCE hosted a Pop-Up discussion on community engagement with presentations on connection, outreach and re-entry, creating a community advisory board, and moving cases out of the criminal justice system.

Prosecutors are facing a growing backlog at every stage of a prosecution, including in forensic laboratories. Reducing the backlog will require new thinking and new approaches. The backlog has also increased the pressure to try cases during the pandemic.

With input from prosecutors around the country, PCE has collected suggestions for addressing the backlog and trying cases during the pandemic.

In November 2020, the National Black Prosecutors Association in collaboration with PCE and other partners hosted a four-hour training that examined biases in the criminal justice system, using scientific data and case studies. Approximately 300 participants were provided with actionable strategies to bring about a more equitable justice system and to maintain the integrity of the legal system.

The role of the prosecutor has evolved dramatically over the last 40 years. PCE highlights a sampling of prosecutor innovations in this new report that dives into 221 programs from 150 prosecutor offices from across the country. 

Interactive Map: Find prosecutor innovations by state, office, or program category with our new interactive map, which illustrates the breadth of innovation in the U.S. by highlighting 250+ programs in 150+ offices.

Presentation moderator Kristine Hamann of PCE discusses reducing the criminal justice footprint with Assistant DA Nicole Ortsman-Dauer (New York County, NY) and DA Beth McCann (Denver, CO) at the October Best Practices Conference, “The Modern Prosecutor As Problem Solver – Looking to Data and Collaboration for Solutions”.

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.