PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lori Sitler

Phone: (302) 577-8314

Pager: (302) 247-1132

Date: March 17, 2004

LANDMARK STUDY ON PROSECUTION RELEASED

Attorney General Brady was member of Study Group

(Wilmington, DE): The American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI), the research, training and technical assistance affiliate of the National District Attorneys Association, has just released results of a study on “Prosecution in the 21st Century – Goals, Objectives and Performance Measures.” Attorney General M. Jane Brady participated in the research effort by serving on the Study Group, the primary decision-making group that considered issues and made findings and recommendations for the research project. 



According to the APRI:

“the Study Group, chaired by former Attorney General of the United States, Edwin Meese III, along with distinguished and select local prosecutors, scholars, researchers, and government officials, enabled APRI to complete this report which is the first phase in an ongoing process. This ambitious study defines the prosecutor’s mission, identifies viable goals and objectives, establishes a format for strategic planning, and develops a set of promising guidelines for measuring prosecutor performance… Beyond enforcing criminal laws and seeking truth and the fair administration of justice, today’s prosecutors are leaders in their communities, concerned with preventing crime, promoting public safety, and enhancing our quality of life. This report defines the mission of local prosecution as follows: ‘Through leadership, the local prosecutor ensures that justice is done in a fair, effective and efficient manner.’



The following prosecution goals are identified: (1) to promote the fair, impartial, and expeditious pursuit of justice; (2) to ensure safer communities; and (3) to promote integrity in the prosecution profession and effective coordination in the criminal justice system. This report incorporates these core concepts into a comprehensive framework of goals, objectives, and suggested performance measures that can be useful in strategic planning, monitoring performance and documenting results.



Future research efforts are planned that will test the feasibility and efficacy of the suggested performance measures in different environments. The experience and lessons learned from testing these measures will lay a solid foundation for understanding prosecution in the 21st century.” 





General Meese said, “I take great pride in the fact that I was part of this distinguished group who will,

through this study and those that follow, shape the future to ensure effective and exemplary prosecution in the 21st century. Prosecutors are the people’s attorney – and the people deserve the highest level of quality and integrity from their prosecutors.”



Attorney General Brady commented, “I was pleased to be a part of this important effort, and the

distinguished group addressing these issues. I hope that our work will inform prosecutors across the country about assessing performance measures, defining accountability and identifying best practices.”

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