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Working with and Supporting Families of Homicide Victims

Being assigned a homicide case is one of the greatest responsibilities given to an individual prosecutor. While these cases invite tremendous scrutiny and demand intense preparation, one aspect that prosecutors rarely receive any formal training in is how to work with the family and friends of the deceased victim. Even though prosecutors are in the business of helping, this gap can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary frustrations in an often opaque and stressful process.

This presentation will focus on strategies a prosecutor can use to work with the family and friends of homicide victims by looking for ways to increase education about the system generally as well as explain in a trauma-informed way the strengths and challenges of an individual case. Focus will also be given to exploring the legal obligations and limitations that may arise in working with a homicide victim’s family.

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be better able to:
– Understand obligations and the benefits of consistently notifying a homicide victim’s family of case updates.
– Develop strategies to navigate situations when a homicide victim’s family may be adversarial and how to mitigate such circumstances from arising.
– Educate homicide victims’ families about unique circumstances such as those involving juvenile defendants, death penalty cases, and cold cases.

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Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims

Written by prosecutors for prosecutors, this guide reflects decades of insight and experience prosecuting sexual violence and domestic violence of more than 120 state, Tribal, military, and federal prosecutors as well as advocates, academics, and investigators who have dedicated their careers to combatting sexual assault and domestic violence.DOJ SA-DV Prosecutor Guide may 2024

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From Stats to Solutions: Data-Driven Responses to Baton Rouge’s Opioid Crisis

East Baton Rouge has been ravaged by the opioid crisis that has affected much of America. With hundreds of overdose deaths within the parish each year, the majority of which involved opioids in some capacity, the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office (EBRDA) sought to combat this epidemic. The office applied for and was awarded a Smart Prosecution – Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) grant with the goals of reducing the number of overdose deaths and enhancing prosecutions of individuals who contribute to those deaths. EBRDA has used its grant to produce data which in turn is used to develop innovative, economical, and effective strategies and programs.

Presenters will examine the EBRDA’s IPS project and describe its success and challenges. They will focus on how other jurisdictions can use their information and data to create similar programs that will provide lasting impacts in the community. This presentation will provide insight into different strategies that offices can pursue as they work to combat the opioid overdose epidemic.

At the end of this presentation, participants will be better able to:

– Use data to assess and respond to the opioid abuse and overdose crisis in their community
– Identify traditional and non-traditional criminal justice partners to assist in responding to the opioid crisis
– Evaluate their response to the opioid crisis

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Prosecution Foundations: Capturing the Full Extent of the Offender’s Criminality

The IACP and AEquitas, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, hosted a conversation between Jane Anderson, Senior Attorney Advisor with AEquitas and David Weiss, the Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit at Kings County (Brooklyn, New York) District Attorney’s Office. As a co-chair of Brooklyn’s Enhanced Collaborative Model Human Trafficking Task Force, David has extensive experience collaborating on human trafficking responses, including working with law enforcement early in investigations and supervising complex prosecutions. Jane and David discussed how broadening human trafficking investigations can enhance prosecutions, decrease reliance on victim participation, and ensure support to victims is trauma-informed.

This presentation will enhance your ability to:
-Identify criminal activity and co-occurring charges common in human trafficking cases;
-Collaborate with law enforcement to enhance victim-centered investigations; and
-Litigate the admission of “other bad acts” in sex and labor trafficking cases

This webinar is part of IACP/OVC’s Enhanced Collaborative Model anti-human trafficking task force training catalog. The materials presented aim to help Enhanced Collaborative Model anti-human trafficking task forces seek justice on the behalf of human trafficking victims and survivors.

This webinar was produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police under Cooperative Agreement #2020-VT-BX-K002, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this webinar are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Understanding the Supreme Court’s Decision in United States v. Rahimi

United States v. Rahimi became a widely followed case in the 2024 Supreme Court docket after the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (covering Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) issued its decision in United States v. Rahimi, 59 F.4th 163 (5th Cir. 2023). The Court ruled that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which prohibits gun possession by people who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders, is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. 

This decision reverberated across the country, and in the wake of the Fifth Circuit decision, the Supreme Court took a writ of Certiorari to resolve the conflict. Ultimately, on June 21, 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the Fifth Circuit and upheld the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8). This Strategies in Brief newsletter unpacks the holding of the Supreme Court, and provides guidance to prosecutors moving forward on applying this ruling to their work. 

This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-22-GK-03987-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.RahimiDecision_FINAL

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Special Conditions of Bail: Rule 1275.1 Motions in California

Human Trafficking cases, much like organized crime and drug trafficking cases, often have financial motivations and can involve defendants who have obtained a great deal of money as a result of their criminal activity. This one page resource exists to provide an overview of a special condition of bail in California known as a 1275.1 order; Cal. Pen. Code 1275.1 creates a special condition of bail in which a defendant is ordered to show that the source of the funds with which they are posting bail is not proceeds gained from illegal activity.

This resource was developed under a grant awarded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.Nebbia one-pager FINAL

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Early Action, Lasting Impact: The Role of Early Intercept Diversion in Preventing Community Violence

Meaningful violence prevention requires communities to intervene directly with youth at high risk for future violence. Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and Family Team Meetings (FTMs) are promising practices for early intervention but may not be commonly leveraged as criminal justice innovations across the nation. As jurisdictions seek to prevent and intervene in violence, they should consider engaging family members of at-risk youth to ensure they receive proper psychological, social, and educational support. This presentation is led by criminal justice practitioners at the York County District Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania. Presenters discuss how criminal justice professionals can collaborate with community and government professionals, as well as the families of at-risk adolescents, to support the community’s youth and mitigate the risk of future violent behavior. They also explore strategies to leverage grant funding, research partnerships, and technical assistance to move violence prevention and intervention efforts forward.

As a result of this presentation, participants will be better able to:

      • Incorporate Family Group Decision Making and Family Team Meetings as part of a broader violence prevention strategy.
      • Identify risk factors for violent behavior and leverage protective factors to mitigate the risk of future violence.
      • Evaluate and close gaps in the community’s response to violence prevention.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2020-YX-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Using Data and Analytics to Identify Prolific Violent Offenders: Lessons Learned from the Cuyahoga County (OH) Prosecutor’s Office’s Crime Strategies Unit

Cuyahoga County is home to Cleveland, Ohio and experiences a violent crime rate that is almost four times the national average. The County includes over 50 law enforcement agencies, and given that violent crime in the county is not confined to a single municipality, it’s essential for law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to share data about violent offenders. This webinar highlights how the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office (CCPO) identified and prioritized investigation and prosecution of the county’s most prolific offenders—especially those connected to firearm-related crimes. Rachel Lovell and Ryan Bokoch discuss the creation and validation of the CCPO’s Crime Strategy Unit’s priority criteria, the characteristics of the county’s most violent offenders, and the social network and spatial analyses used to identify links between people, places, and violent gun crimes. Specifically, they explain how to use incident-based criteria, as opposed to criteria based on individual characteristics, to identify violent crime drivers, and they discuss how investigators and prosecutors can use such information to triage cases more effectively and efficiently.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2020-YX-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Prosecutor Guide to Jury Selection in Cases with LGBTQ+ Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking

A prosecutor’s first opportunity to combat potential bias during a criminal trial is jury selection. Jury selection, also known as voir dire, provides an opportunity to address bias, correct misconceptions, and strive for fairness in the process. Jury selection is also an opportunity to educate the panel about the crime and parties, to obtain promises to follow instructions on the law, and to plant seeds about the concepts of fairness and justice in the context of the current case. For cases involving LGBTQ+ victims, a comprehensive voir dire strategy is key to ensuring that anti-LGBTQ+ bias does not determine the outcome of the trial.

This Guide, developed in partnership with AEquitas and the American Bar Association, is designed to support prosecutors in drafting jury selection questions and related motions in limine to help address anti-LGBTQ+ bias among potential jurors.

This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-21-GK-02238-MUMU awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.Prosecutor Guide to Jury Selection (OVW Approved)

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Threat Assessments

This session, recorded as part of a two-day virtual Witness Intimidation Convening, focuses on methods for assessing threats against victims and witnesses of crime. Rick Harris, Senior Criminal Investigator of the Denver District Attorney’s Office (Denver DA), and Steve Siegel, independent consultant and former director of Denver DA’s Special Programs Unit, discuss how to assess the credibility of threats, resources and tools that facilitate threat assessments, working with candidates for witness protection, and strategies for maximizing the success of witness protection programs.

This event is supported by Grant No. 2020-YX-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions discussed during this event are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.