Prosecutor Recruitment & Retention News

Welcome to our news and advocacy section, dedicated to highlighting the latest developments and challenges in prosecutor recruitment and retention. This section compiles essential news articles to raise awareness and assist in advocacy efforts. Our goal is to inform and engage our members, policymakers, and the public about the critical issues impacting our profession.

National

• Prosecutors are ‘quitting in droves,’ and it’s bad news for defendants, law prof says

• District attorneys struggle to recruit and retain lawyers

• Prosecution careers are a tougher sell since the pandemic; positions go unfilled as few apply

• Shortage of prosecutors, judges leads to widespread court backlogs

• The prosecutor vacancy crisis

Alabama

• West Alabama district attorney struggling with shortage of prosecutors

• District Attorney’s office: significant financial challenges are due to inadequate funding

Alaska

• Alaska’s courts are mired in cases, with gradual progress on pandemic backlog

• Anchorage’s costs for outside counsel rise amid city attorney shortage

• Why Are Hundreds of Criminal Cases Being Dismissed in Anchorage?

Arizona

• Attorneys raise concerns over slow moving cases, how Pima County Attorney is addressing shortage of prosecutors

Colorado

• Nearly half of Colorado countries have 10 or fewer attorneys

• Pueblo County District Attorney’s Office using intern program to relieve shortage of prosecutors

• District Attorney for the 7th Judicial District announces resignation

Connecticut

• Short-staffed CT prosecutors deal with heavy workloads and outdated technology, report shows

Florida

• High costs and high turnover: Miami-Dade state attorney and PD seek solutions

Georgia

• Old law furthers recruitment, retainment challenges in DA’s office

• Georgia lawmakers asked to pour money into criminal justice system to help clear court case backlog

Hawaii

• Wage bump aims to stem departure of Honolulu’s deputy prosecutors

Idaho

• Idaho deals with serious prosecutor shortage

Illinois

• Pay raises sought for prosecutors and public defenders in McHenry County court amid recruiting struggles

Indiana

• Indiana Supreme Court establishes attorney shortage commission

• County prosecutor makes plea for 3 more positions amid attorney shortage

Maryland

• State’s Attorney Bates seeks funding for 20 more prosecutors, touts partnership with Scott

Michigan

• Justice moves slowly in rural Michigan, thanks to prosecutor shortage

• West Michigan prosecutors face shortage, seek state funding to boost recruitment

• Wayne County prosecutor raising starting salaries, offering paid parental leave

• Wayne County police, prosecutors, attorneys get boost in wages with new contracts

• Prosecutors say low salaries, staff shortages, contribute to delays, backlogs

• Prosecutor shortages affecting the justice system

• Prosecuting Attorney shortage in Ingham County

• New state funding not enough to solve shortage of prosecutors, counties say

Minnesota

• Public defender pay raise shakes up staffing in Minnesota county attorney offices

Missouri

• St. Louis judges ‘deeply’ concerned by prosecutor shortage

• Shortage of prosecuting attorneys emerges as a concern of Missouri counties

Montana

• Flathead County attorney’s office continues to face staffing shortage

Nebraska

• Rural NE county attorneys, public defenders confront ‘legal desert’ in hiring new lawyers

New York

• Onondaga County DA pushing lawmakers for help with prosecutor shortage

• Wayne County ADA discusses prosecutor shortages

• Why Hundreds of New York City Prosecutors Are Leaving Their Jobs

North Carolina

• North Carolina District Attorneys call for a pause of multi-million dollar eCourts system

North Dakota

• Staffing shortage leads to dismissed cases in Stutsman County

• State’s attorneys association notes shortage of prosecutors in North Dakota

• Shortage of prosecutors having impacts across North Dakota

Ohio

• Attorney shortage leads one state to offer student loan relief

• A shallow pool of local attorneys impacts Ashland County courts

Pennsylvania

• Area district attorneys applaud bill aimed at funding more prosecutors

South Carolina

• Thousands await trial in SC on years-old charges

Texas

• Montgomery County approves prosecutor pay raise amid retention issues

• Kleberg County experiencing temporary shortage of prosecutors

• Gregg County district attorney’s office struggles with employee shortage

• DA on hiring dilemma: “Frankly, it’s Wichita Falls”

Washington

• Yakima County leaders considering another pay increase for attorneys amid shortage

Wisconsin

• Prosecutors, public defenders would receive raises under measure passed by Legislature’s budget panel

• Prosecutors, public defenders in Wisconsin need higher pay, study says. Here’s why.

• State Supreme Court creates committee to address attorney shortage ‘crisis’

• Statewide prosecutor shortage crippling District Attorneys’ offices, impacting justice system

• Attorney shortage worst in Wisconsin’s northern counties

• Prosecutor Staffing: The Wisconsin Experience