A Smarter Approach To Measuring Prosecutorial Success
OCT. 4, 2020 – In a new Law360 op-ed, New York University School of Law Professor Anthony Thompson and FJP Executive Director Miriam Krinsky discuss the need for new metrics of success for 21st Century Prosecutors and why traditional measures like conviction rates & sentence length are often at odds with the pursuit of justice. They further discuss new Prosecutorial Performance Indicators, a comprehensive set of 55 metrics that track progress toward prosecutorial fairness, just results, addressing racial disparities, and community well-being.
“For too long, prosecutor’s offices have been reluctant to use data to identify problems and improve their work. By using Prosecutorial Performance Indicators, prosecutors can begin to understand the impact of their decisions, measure their own success, and ensure that their work truly promotes a just system for all.”
Communities Need and Deserve a Reset of Policing and the Justice System. Trump has Created a Sham Process that Excludes Them.
SEPT. 29, 2020 – The President’s Commission on Law Enforcement has been shrouded in secrecy, but it’s clear that its goal is to advance dangerous and inaccurate narratives about public safety and failed policing practices. In this op-ed in The Appeal, Joe Brann, the founding director of the DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and FJP Executive Director Miriam Krinsky discuss the need for a new community-driven vision of policing to advance safety and equity. Read more here.
“The unrelenting videos exposing the brutality and devaluing of communities of color by law enforcement are likely to continue, as will the protests and growing chorus demanding a reimagining of our justice system. Those heartfelt pleas cannot be ignored. We must welcome and fully engage our community as co-producers of public safety – or prepare for a future that holds further divisiveness and suffering.”
Local prosecutors are the best people to defend their communities against corrupt cops
SEPT. 23, 2020 – Some recent proposals are suggesting that the power to prosecute police misconduct should be removed from the hands of local prosecutors and placed in the hands of “outside prosecutors” such as state prosecutors or attorneys general. In this op-ed in The Baltimore Sun, Roy L. Austin, Jr. and FJP Executive Director Miriam Krinsky explain why these efforts will erode police accountability. Instead, they highlight key principles that enable local prosecutors – who know best the local landscape and how to effectively pursue these prosecutions – to oversee these vitally important and sensitive cases.
“[L]ocal prosecutors are best equipped to address abuses in their own communities – and we must be wary of proposals that would undermine, even threaten, the ability of communities to hold corrupt and criminal police officers accountable.”
Our president is threatening the right to vote, as well as public safety
SEPT. 6, 2020 – The current administration’s efforts to undermine the voting process – including interference with the Postal Service, unsubstantiated claims about the lack of integrity of voting by mail, and the threat of sending law enforcement officials to police the polls – could do irreparable harm to our democracy and further erode the trust of communities in government and the rule of law. In this new op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa County, CA District Attorney Diana Becton, Mecklenburg County, NC Sheriff Garry L. McFadden, and FJP Executive Director Miriam Krinsky share how these attacks on the right to vote threaten public safety across the country.
“Our democracy is on the line.”
Bad law and failed order
AUG. 26, 2020 – As the current administration and opponents of reform stoke fear about crime in America, the death rate from homicides in the U.S. is less than 10% of the deaths from the current pandemic, while the average yearly number of hate crimes has increased dramatically under this administration. Meanwhile, the administration has sought to curb the power of locally-elected, reform-minded prosecutors who understand that past “tough on crime” approaches don’t work. In this op-ed in The Hill, FJP Executive Director Miriam Krinsky and Roy L. Austin, Jr. fact check these regressive talking points on crime.
“Despite the Trump Administration’s attempt to spread fear among suburban voters, we know that we can significantly reduce the footprint of law enforcement while also enhancing community safety and constitutional policing…Those fighting for dramatic changes to our criminal system recognize that, to truly enhance public safety, we must address underlying societal problems and fortify community trust.”