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LANDMARK STUDY DETERMINES HOW TO MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF OUR NATION’S PROSECUTORS
Alexandria, VA – January 9, 2003 – How do we judge the success of our nation’s prosecutors? The National District Attorney’s Association’s (NDAA) affiliate, the American Prosecutors Research Institute’s (APRI) Office of Research and Evaluation, recently issued a landmark study that tackles the complex issue of determining the success of America’s District Attorney’s offices.
In its publication “How Many Cases Should a Prosecutor Handle? Results of the National Workload Assessment Project,” APRI concluded that it is not feasible to develop national caseload and workload standards. It is possible, however, for individual prosecutors’ offices and individual states to develop their own caseload and workload standards.
For years, prosecutors have struggled with the question of how many cases one prosecutor should handle annually. The issue of workload assessment, staff allocation and resources, however, was never considered when attempts were made to answer this question. APRI has developed a method to quantify and understand the level of effort associated with case processing that enables the projection of resource needs. Significantly, and contrary to past thinking, the most reliable projection of resource needs is based on the overall workload of a prosecutor – and not the number of cases tried.
APRI found that District Attorneys offices had responsibilities that went far beyond trying cases. The prosecutor’s primary responsibility is to process cases, from the initial screening through final adjudication. However, prosecutors are also involved in important non-case related activities such as community outreach, law enforcement coordination and administrative duties.
In its final analysis, APRI found that because of each state’s unique criminal code, crimes over which prosecutors have authority, and court structure -- all affecting individual’s workload-- the variation across the country could not be controlled. Therefore, it is impossible to develop fair national standards.
This study was made possible by the support of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs.
CONTACT: Velva M. Walter
Director, Media Relations (NDAA)
703-519-1689 – velva.walter@ndaa-apri.org
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