BEYOND BIG CITIES PAPER SERIES
To learn more about the Beyond Big Cities Initiative and members, click here.
Click the images for full descriptions of each guide.
Revamping Recruitment and Retention
From bail to diversion, public interest in prosecutorial policy has never been higher. Despite this, less attention has been paid to the line prosecutors who must carry out these policies on the ground. Hiring thoughtful and committed prosecutors to do the work of keeping communities safe—and retaining them as they grow and gain experience—is an indispensable priority for chief prosecutors, no matter their ideological stripes. Yet these leaders face severe challenges in finding the prosecutors they need and keeping them on board, leaving many offices understaffed and under-experienced, a combination with stark implications for the quality of justice.
With this in mind, the IIP has published its new guide, Revamping Recruitment and Retention: A Personnel Playbook for Prosecutors in Small Jurisdictions. The guide is the fourth in a series produced through the IIP's Beyond Big Cities Initiative. Authored by IIP Policy Associate Harry Breault, District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez of Georgia, and County Attorney William Ring of Arizona, the guide identifies personnel challenges faced by prosecutors across the country and highlights innovative solutions developed by our Beyond Big Cities members. This guide provides offices with a blueprint for building teams of ethical prosecutors⎼while creating the culture and policies that will retain them.
Data Capacity
Data collection is an urgent priority for today’s criminal legal system. Prosecutors in particular have made efforts to use data to track their performance and advance transparency through public-facing data dashboards and other innovations. Implementing better data practices presents unique challenges, however, for smaller and under-resourced prosecutors’ offices.
With this in mind, the IIP, in partnership with the Urban Institute, has published its new report, Data Capacity: A Best Practice Guide for Prosecutors in Smaller Jurisdictions. Authored by Andreea Matei, Alice Galley, Leigh Courtney, and Janine Zweig of the Urban Institute, the guide identifies barriers and provides creative solutions geared toward those smaller offices that are early in their data collection journeys. The guide also draws on the experiences of Beyond Big Cities members who have confronted challenges in prosecutorial data collection and developed innovative solutions.
Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts people irrespective of income level, educational attainment, and geography. In the United States, one in five homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner, and over half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male partner. Over 10 million women and men continue to experience IPV each year. IPV is an age-old social concern that continues to torment millions of people across the nation.
With this sobering reality in mind, the IIP has published its new report, Intimate Partner Violence: A Best Practice Guide for Prosecutors in Smaller Jurisdictions. Authored by Professor Maybell Romero, Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim, and IIP Policy Attorney Chantelle Williams, this new report provides a survey of IPV prosecution in smaller jurisdictions, particularly rural ones, based on research and information provided by the Beyond Big Cities members.
Restorative Justice
In June of 2021, the IIP launched its Beyond Big Cities Initiative with several discussions about restorative justice in smaller communities. Smaller jurisdictions handle the majority of criminal justice cases nationwide. However, their successful and groundbreaking work rarely gets the same level of attention paid to their larger, well-resourced counterparts.
In pursuit of a fulfilling and fair justice system, the IIP has published its new report, “Restorative Justice: A Best Practice Guide for Prosecutors in Smaller Jurisdictions.” This guide, authored by County Attorney Reese Frederickson (Pine County, MN), IIP Deputy Director Alissa Marque Heydari, and IIP Legal Fellow Chloe Marmet, spotlights Beyond Big Cities members who have implemented restorative justice programs to meet the needs of the victims, society, and the accused in their communities. It also equips prosecutors in smaller jurisdictions with a blueprint to create their own restorative justice programs.