BJA FY 15 Smart Prosecution Initiative

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The Smart Prosecution Initiative, administered by BJA, is part of BJA’s “Smart Suite” of crime fighting programs including Smart Policing, Smart Probation, and Smart Pretrial. Funding for this initiative is anticipated through the FY 2015 appropriation. BJA established the “smart suite” over five years ago with the creation of the Smart Policing Initiative. The smart suite supports criminal justice professionals in building evidence-based, data-driven criminal justice strategies that are effective, efficient, and economical. BJA’s smart programs represent a strategic approach that brings more “science” into criminal justice operations by leveraging innovative applications of analysis, technology, and evidence-based practices. Historically, prosecutors have worked tirelessly to address criminal justice problems in their community. In recent years they have recognized a need to adopt innovative strategies and to engage in data-driven decision making to proactively contribute to crime prevention and response. They also recognize the effectiveness of collaborating with other criminal justice partners, stakeholders and the community to reduce violent crime and achieve safer communities. The Smart Prosecution model builds off of the lessons learned from BJA’s other smart suite programs and seeks to pair action researchers with prosecutor offices to develop solutions—such as “hot spot” strategies, sophisticated crime analysis, offender-based policies, and risk and needs assessment—that create prosecution strategies in an effort to break down information silos, advance communities, improve public trust and confidence in the justice system, and increase public safety. Smart Prosecution seeks to act as a catalyst, promoting criminal justice and non-criminal justice information sharing to improve results for communities. Lessons learned from Smart Prosecution will develop a rich body of evidence for use by prosecutors nationally as they seek to work with communities and the police to solve chronic problems and fight violent crime.

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