Community Prosecution Program

In the mid-1990s, as increasing crime and violence threatened communities and burgeoning caseloads began to overwhelm the criminal justice system, prosecutors across the country began to examine innovative ways to fight and prevent crime in their jurisdictions. One such solution was the development of “community prosecution” programs. Through community prosecution, prosecutors can transcend their traditional roles as

case processors and forge partnerships with the community to act as problem solvers. It is a “grassroots” approach to law enforcement, involving traditional and non-traditional initiatives to work within a targeted community to prevent crime and thereby reduce the number of arrests and prosecutions.

Recognizing that prosecution cannot strictly be reactionary to crime, community prosecution involves crime prevention and community involvement. In light of the myriad differences between and among jurisdictions and neighborhoods, it focuses on the individual needs of communities, coupling the law enforcement efforts of the prosecutor’s office with the grassroots concerns of the community. Community prosecution has been used to great effect in jurisdictions from Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C., and New York City.

In 1999, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office received a grant from the United States Department of Justice to begin a community prosecution program, and, one year later, the Community Prosecution Office opened on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in southwest Atlanta. The program focuses on targeted areas and involves a long-term, proactive partnership among prosecutors, law enforcement, public and private organizations,

business people, and the community, whereby the authority of the District Attorney’s Office is used to solve problems, improve public safety, and enhance the quality of life in the community.

Currently, three Assistant District Attorneys have been assigned as the full-time Community Prosecutors serving the areas known as "Zone 3, Zone 4, and Zone 5". The Community Prosecutor attends a variety of community meetings in the area and responds to requests from local residents and business people. Through this kind of close, regular contact, the District Attorney's Office is able to identify public safety goals that are responsive to the concerns and priorities of residents. This level of accessibility fosters trust and cooperation between law enforcement and citizens.

To ensure the Zones 3, 4, and 5 areas, the Office has also assigned assistant district attorneys to each of the City’s 24 Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs). Coordinated through the Community Prosecution program, this initiative fosters direct contact between this Office and a wide cross-section of the community. Assistant district attorneys are required to attend monthly NPU meetings that provide a forum for citizens to

discuss criminal justice-related concerns within their neighborhoods.