Supporting Local Prosecutors Act
THE SOLUTION
Special Prosecutors are appointed positions within a state’s attorney general office and only have the power to prosecute serious felony crimes.
Special prosecutors can prosecute crimes when a district attorney refuses to file cases, and they can offer support to districts that lack resources.
The governor or attorney general can deploy a special prosecutor to assist when…
…a district’s homicide rate is twice that of the state’s.
…an elected district attorney requests help.
Special prosecutors would serve a temporary five-year term, and the scope of their work would be limited to:
WHY IT MATTERS
When ineffective or overburdened district attorney offices fail to prosecute serious crimes, it results in a lack of accountability for offenders, decreased public safety, and eroded trust in the legal system.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
States must prosecute serious crimes when district attorney offices can’t or won’t.
Offering support to overburdened district attorneys and taking over the duties of rogue DA offices assures communities that states are doing their part to help protect their families and livelihoods.