APRI Highlights - Summer 2002

Hot Topics

Debra Whitcomb

Director, Grant Programs and Development

All of APRI’s work is supported by external funding, primarily in the form of federal grants. Each of our programmatic areas (e.g., the National Traffic Law Center, the National Center for Community Prosecution, the National Juvenile Justice Prosecution Center) depends upon at least one substantial award to pay for staff salaries, training programs, publications, travel—in short, all the work that APRI does to prepare the nation’s local prosecutors for the challenges of their daily caseloads.

This dependence on external support can be very rewarding. For example, it allows APRI to monitor cutting-edge issues in criminal justice as the federal agencies shift their funding priorities to match perceived needs as crime trends and patterns change. APRI’s Gun Violence Prosecution Program is an excellent example of our capacity to join the administration in its initiative to reduce violence in neighborhoods across the country.

Conversely, APRI’s work can be severely limited by the constraints of federal funding. APRI’s National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse, for example, has survived on level funding for more than 15 years. The award we received in 1985 simply cannot support the same level of services in 2002, and the NCPCA is hard-pressed to meet the continuing demand of prosecutors, investigators and victim advocates for our expert training and technical assistance. In fact, NCPCA has reduced the number of training programs significantly while searching for additional sources of revenue.

APRI has identified several priority needs, as follows:

• DNA evidence has radically changed the face of American jurisprudence—yet APRI receives only $150,000 to train and assist prosecutors nationally.
  
  
• Drug-related offenses constitute 70 percent of the average prosecutor’s caseload—yet APRI closed down its drug prosecution program 10 years ago for lack of funding.
  
  
• Computers and related technology are now a central focus of many criminal investigations—yet APRI has only a limited capacity to meet the growing demand for assistance.
  
  
• The death penalty has come under increasing scrutiny across the nation—yet APRI is unable to help prosecutors address these difficult challenges.

Ideally, APRI needs consistent, flexible funding sources. We continue to seek alternative funders, and welcome your support with potential “angels” in both traditional and nontraditional arenas. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at (703) 549-4253 or debra.whitcomb@ndaa-apri.org with your good ideas and suggestions.