Effective Remote Work Strategies (2023)

Video Edition Updated

Yavapai County Attorney’s Office (Prescott, AZ)

Population: 242,253 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 41 | Contact Information

The Yavapai County Attorney’s Office (YCAO) has developed robust work from home policies for all of their attorneys and staff. This has enabled them to supervise remote work and maintain accountability, while affording employees more flexible work environment options. The program was devised in response to the Covid -19 pandemic but has become a popular benefit and effective recruitment tool. 

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Tap in Center Helps People Clear Low-Level Warrants (2022)

Video Edition Updated

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (St. Louis, MO)

Population: 996,179 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 66 | Contact Information

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (SLCPA) partnered with the Court, Public Defender, and the County Library to create a “Tap In Center” where community members can get legal help in order to clear warrants and take care of issues in criminal cases that would normally require a court appearance.  The program was launched in order to provide better access to services in a non-threatening environment, that caters to people who work or have childcare obligations during normal court hours.

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Automated Expungements (2022)

Video Edition Updated

Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office (San Jose, CA)

Population: 1,924,000 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 190 | Contact Information

The Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office (SCDA) has developed a way to automate the expungement of criminal records by partnering with the Court and Public Defender to streamline the process and leverage data contained in their case management system to identify those eligible for relief.  The program was devised after Santa Clara used a similar method to expunge records for those convicted of Marijuana offenses after California passed legislation decriminalizing its possession.

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Resentencing Clinic Partnership (2022)

Video Edition Updated

Yolo County District Attorney’s Office (Woodland, CA)

Population: 220,410 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 42 | Contact Information

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office (YCDA) has partnered with For the People, a non-profit group focused on sentencing equity, and the law school at University of California, Davis to create a clinic that engages students in reviewing convictions to determine if resentencing would serve the interests of justice.  In California, prosecutors were recently given the ability to petition the court to resentence individuals, even after all appeals are final.  This new law allows prosecutors to request shorter sentences in appropriate cases. 

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Award Winning Peer Support Program (2022)

Video Edition Updated

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

Population: 2,123,000 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 220 | Contact Information

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office (SBDA) has developed an award winning peer support program which provides professional supportive services to employees who are facing issues as result of secondary trauma and stress as a result of personal or professional challenges.  The program is staffed by employees who undergo peer support training that teaches communication skills for people in crisis, understanding available resources, and  laws regulating the confidentiality of peer support conversations.

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Pathways to Community Prefiling Diversion Program (2022)

Video Edition Updated

Coconino County Attorney’s Office (Flagstaff, AZ)

Population: 142,254 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 15 | Contact Information

The Coconino County Attorney’s Office (CCA) has developed a prefiling diversion program that connects arrestees to a variety of health and social service programs before the decision to file charges is made by the CCA. After an initial health screening and court appearance, a judge determines eligibility and qualified participants are released to a local facility where they can access substance abuse, mental health, and social services from a variety of government and community providers. Once programming is underway, the CCA evaluates participation to determine if charges will be filed or dismissed.

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Using Surveys to Inform Prosecutor Training Needs (2021)

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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.  

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Using Surveys to Inform Prosecutor Training Needs and Increase Morale (2021)

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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)

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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.

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