Lessons From the Field: Ten Community Prosecution Leadership Profiles

• NCJ Number: 208391
• Author(s): Robert V. Wolf; John L. Worrall Ph.D.
• Date Published: November 2004
• Length: 96 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2000-PP-CX-K001
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Corporate Author: American Prosecutors Research Institute; Center for Justice Innovation
• Sale Source: American Prosecutors Research Institute
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This monograph describes 10 community prosecution programs from around the country.

Abstract

Community-based prosecution involves the notion that prosecutors are more than officers of the court who enter the scene after the commission of a crime. Community prosecution engages members of the community in crime reduction and neighborhood improvement through tools such as nuisance abatement, drug-free zones, landlord tenet laws, truancy abatement, and restorative justice practices. The current monograph reviews 10 innovative and highly effective community prosecution programs being implemented in Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Atlanta, GA; Minneapolis, MN; Kalamazoo, MI; Brooklyn, NY; Indianapolis, IN; Portland, OR; Austin, TX; and Washington, DC. Each program represents a unique response to the law enforcement challenges of the 21st century. Although the programs' design and implementation vary, all contain three integral components: (1) a multi-agency approach involving community-based groups; (2) varied and innovative problem-solving methods; and (3) community involvement. For example, the community prosecution program in Kalamazoo, MI began in the mid-1990’s with assistance from the American Prosecutors Research Institute’s 1995 Community Prosecution Implementation Manual. After holding a town meeting in which a neighborhood was targeted for community prosecution intervention, the “Neighborhood Prosecuting Attorney” moved into a donated office within the neighborhood and implemented various community-based strategies to reduce crime in the area. A neighbor survey that resulted in 80 completed surveys identified the most important problems in the area, such as juvenile loitering; the neighborhood prosecutor then went about targeting these problems through innovative approaches. The case studies include information about why the programs succeeded and how they were funded, as well as lessons learned. Jurisdiction and contact information for each program is provided. Resources