Community Prosecution: Community Role and Programmatic Content

• NCJ Number: 198031
• Author(s): Cheryl Irons-Guynn; Lillian Dote; John S. Goldkamp; Doris Weiland
• Date Published: July 2002
• Length: 165 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2000-PP-CX-0047
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Corporate Author: Crime and Justice Research Institute
• Sale Source: Crime and Justice Research Institute
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research); Case Study
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Based on observations, interviews, and discussions with officials and key actors in prosecutor's offices across the country, as well as with community members who are engaged in community prosecution, this study examined the community role and programmatic content of community prosecution in the United States.

Abstract

This study defines "community prosecution" as "a major milestone in changing the 'culture' and role of the prosecutor through the development of partnerships and collaborative, problem-solving approaches with the community aimed at improving the quality of life and safety of citizens in neighborhoods" (Goldkamp et al., 2001). This report's discussions of the role of the community and the content of community prosecution strategies are based on telephone or in-person interviews with representatives of community prosecution initiatives in 36 sites, conducted through February 2002. After outlining the criteria various jurisdictions have used in selecting the target communities for the development of community prosecution, this report discusses the nature of the interaction between the prosecutor's office and the community in the prosecution process and decisionmaking. This is followed by chapters that describe how community prosecution has targeted specific problems identified through collaboration with the community. These include strategies that have focused on youth, nuisance properties, and specific offenses or crime problems. A chapter then focuses on strategies for involving the community in the development of prosecutorial priorities. The study found that the 36 sites reviewed differed not only in the processes used to select their target communities, but also in the criteria used, which included specific crime problems, existing community resources, policing administrative boundaries, existing crime prevention initiatives, available resources, and community willingness or self-nomination of certain communities. The role played by the community in prosecution strategies ranged on a continuum from relatively passive to a central leadership role in identifying and addressing problems. 39 references