NCJ Number
72831
Date Published
1979
Length
45 pages
Annotation
The final progress report of the Hennepin County, Minn. Attorney's Office is presented on the first year of operation of a LEAA-funded Career Criminal Project for directing prosecutorial resources toward serious habitual criminal offenders.
Abstract
The project planning stage included research on the county's repeat offender problem, the development of case selection criteria, preparation of the grant application. The Major Offender Unit, consisting of three experienced trial attorneys, sought to successfully prosecute and incapacitate serious offenders by long-term incarceration. Prosecution of selected offenders charged with serious crimes was characterized by responsibility of one unit attorney for each case from initial appearance through sentencing, limited plea negotiations, and high bail to keep defendants in jail pending disposition. Unit attorneys carried caseloads reduced to one-third but were available on a 24-hour basis and involved themselves intensively in such matters as reviews of presentence investigations for each of their cases. During the first year, 88 percent of 164 defendants prosecuted by the unit were convicted, less than one-fifth of the defendants were released on bail (set at $28,000), and 97 percent of those sentenced received a period of incarceration. Project problems included morale of attorney outside the unit, management of vertical prosecution, and the lack of technical assistance. Six appendixes provide numerous project documents, including project history, implementation plans, case selection criteria, and an example of a monthly statistical report.