A new community-based prosecution model being implemented in Philadelphia aims to make it harder for criminals to slip through the cracks of the criminal justice system.
Laurie Malone, Chief of the Repeat Offenders Unit for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, laid out the details of the new prosecution model at the University City Public Safety group meeting Thursday morning.
Under the new model, effective Jan. 1, 2011, prosecuting attorneys will be assigned a specific geographic region, such as Northeast Philadelphia, in which they will prosecute all criminal cases, with the exception of homicide, DUI, family violence and gun possession cases.
The number of DAs assigned to a specific geographic location depends on the prevalence of the type of trial within the region. The new vertically integrated model will allow attorneys to prosecute defendants from start to end of the case.
The new prosecution model is designed to align with how Philadelphia’s detective bureaus are organized, according to Malone.
“There is a disconnect between investigation and prosecution in the current court system,” Malone explained. “With the new system, we as prosecutors will be familiar and involved in the communities we represent.”
The new model aims to prosecute repeat offenders in a more efficient way, according to Division of Public Safety spokeswoman Stef Cella.
The DA’s office will begin preparations for the new court process beginning Nov. 1 by restructuring the physical layout of the Criminal Justice Center, at 1301 Filbert St.
Beginning with the fifth floor, each floor upward will be designated to a specific geographic region of Philadelphia where detectives, prosecuting attorneys and judges will reside in managing all of the cases in their jurisdiction.
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