APRI Highlights - Summer 2003

GVP Launches New Training Program

APRI’s Gun Violence Prosecution Program launched a new, advanced training program called Hitting the Mark: Implementing & Maintaining Community Gun Violence Prosecution Initiatives. This all-expenses paid training, sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, was presented in Baltimore, MD, and in Los Angeles, CA. It will be offered in Chicago, IL (September 21-23) and Boca Raton, FL (November 3-5). Designed for prosecutors and deputy prosecutors handling illegal gun possession, each regional training uses cases and reflects both regional and national gun prosecution issues.

In support of this advanced training, APRI recently published two monographs: Cross-Designation & Federal Firearms Laws: What Local Prosecutors Need to Know and Prosecutors’ Guide to the ATF.

APRI continues to partner with the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Crime Prevention Council to support Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) by providing cutting-edge training across the country. These programs, including the PSN Strategic Problem Solving and PSN Enforcement trainings, enable state and local prosecutors and law enforcement to meet the challenge of gun violence prosecution and prevention.

Innovative PSN Juvenile Interventions

Juvenile crime is considered a strong indicator of future adult criminal conduct. Gun possession in schools, the spread of armed youth gangs, and an increase in youths indicted as adults for gun crimes—all have sparked interest in programs to disrupt a growing pattern of juvenile firearm use and violence. Several states have used Project Safe Neighborhoods strategies to address juvenile gun crime.

The Pima County (AZ) Attorney’s Office has developed CARGO, a collaborative approach with local law enforcement and trauma surgeons to speak to students about the legal consequences of illegal firearm use and the physical consequences of gun shot injuries. This program, while targeting school attendees, is open to the public and free of charge.

Nebraska has developed a unique partnership with the school system and local juvenile probation and parole representatives. Members of this task force meet to share information on at-risk juveniles. Each week juvenile services provides the school system with a list of youths who are on juvenile supervision. The school determines whether the juveniles are enrolled and attend classes regularly. This weekly review process allows the school to communicate immediately to juvenile services officers if a youth is repeatedly truant or engaging in activities that may escalate to firearm violence.

The Western District of Tennessee’s PSN Task Force is also developing new strategies to identify repeatedly truant youths and educate them about the consequences of illegal firearm use. A truant juvenile is given a choice: mandatory attendance at informational meetings or prosecution for truancy. The task force also works closely with community-based police substations to assist at-risk juveniles before they become involved with gun crime.

For more information on these or other gun violence reduction programs, or to request a free copy of APRI’s publications, contact the Gun Violence Prosecution Program at 703-549-4253 or gvp@ndaa-apri.org.