Community Prosecution
Prosecutors have a responsibility to the community to not only prosecute cases but to solve other problems such as public safety, improve public confidence in the justice system and to also prevent crime (McMahon, 2010). The prosecutor, therefore, needs to work with the neighbourhood and develop relationships with the locals for the public prosecution process to be successful. In community prosecution, the prosecutor, the prosecutor, works hand in hand with the community involved.
A community prosecutor recognises the role of the community in public safety. The prosecutor should invite all the stakeholders to express their safety concerns. By encouraging everyone to the table for talks, the prosecutor can establish the priorities and handling of the different problems (Nugent, 2014). The community understands their challenges better than anyone else, including the prosecutor. The city feels engaged in the prosecution process, and therefore, there is trust in the prosecutor and the convictions made.
Community prosecution helps the prosecutor in evaluating the outcome of their activities. The prosecutor is only able to assess how effective they are by actively involving the community and engaging the people regularly (Goldkamp, 2013). The prosecution office does not solely depend on the conviction rate for it to gauge its effectiveness. The prosecutor can adapt quickly to the needs of the community since they have an assessment of how his or her actions have impacted the community.
Community prosecution is not a naïve project as many people may refer to it. The project has been able to reduce crime and boost the trust of people in the justice system. The whole process has ensured that communities get a long lasting solution to their problems.
References
Nugent, M. E., (2014). The changing nature of prosecution: Community prosecution vs traditional prosecution approaches. Alexandria, Va: American Prosecutors Research Institute.
Goldkamp, J., (2013). Community prosecution strategies. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance.
McMahon, J., (2010). Community prosecution.