Did you Know?

DA Hillar Moore discusses various topics including his White Paper on the New Normal, reducing the jail population, using  social media to keep in touch with victims, and remote court proceedings.

As the Jacksonville State Attorney’s Office looks to reopen at 25% capacity, First Assistant Steven Siegel explains how they’re working to maintain safe work environments using strategies such as “Floor Captains” and safety placards.

APA Pat Muscat shares how his division rapidly implemented a paperless system within days of the coronavirus stay at home order, despite having no pre-existing process. Through creative use of technology available to most prosecutor offices, his division gained access to necessary documents and evidence. 

Prosecutors all over the country are finding ways to adapt to the “new normal.” Hear from them in PCE’s new series of video interviews. 

Chief Deputy District Attorney Tracy Prior shares how San Diego conducts preliminary hearings by using a combination of Microsoft Teams, social distancing in the courtroom, and a secure, separate phone line that the defendant and defense attorney can use to communicate privately.

May 2020 – Arizona State University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, The Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Prosecutors’ Center for Excellence. View the webinar

• Panelists: Allister Adel (Maricopa County Attorney), Darcel Clark (Bronx District Attorney), Jon Gould (ASU), Kristine Hamann (PCE), Jeff Reisig (Yolo County District Attorney).
• Additional Materials: May 2020 – Pandemic: A Natural Experiment for Reducing Incarceration Prosecutors Say – ASU Now. Click here

Prosecutors all over the country are finding ways to adapt to the “new normal.” Hear from them in PCE’s new series of video interviews. 

In PCE’s first interview of the series, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven explains their unique approach to conducting Mental Health Court hearings via Zoom. Without a bailiff, court reporter or clerk, the Mental Health Court judge and other participants have conducted these virtual, informal hearings since April, 2020 despite the challenges presented by the pandemic.   

Human trafficking is the second most profitable criminal industry behind the drug trade, estimated by the International Labor Organization to be a $150 billion industry worldwide. To better equip prosecutors to address this devastating crime, the National District Attorneys Association’s Women Prosecutors Section developed a National Human Trafficking Prosecution Best Practices Guide. The guide provides an overview of sex trafficking and labor trafficking, various state and federal trafficking laws, working with victims, the investigative process, and more. Read

BJA has a wide variety of grants available in 2020 that can be of assistance to prosecutors.

The expected solicitation release dates for the grants are between December 2019 and March 2020. Application submission deadlines are typically within 45-60 days of the grant’s announcement.

Author: Antonia Merzon, Colorado Best Practices Committee for Prosecutors

The report discusses pros and cons, technological aspects and key questions related to the cameras, privacy concerns, and more.