Making York County Safer by Tackling Complex Issues in Criminal justice Through Collaboration.

• Author: Sunday, Dave

Last month, Congressman Lloyd Smucker recognized York County on the floor of the United States House of Representatives as one of the leading counties in the nation for boldly addressing the heroin epidemic on all fronts. These measures included attacking the supply of illegal opioids through aggressive law enforcement and the prosecution of individuals distributing illegal opioids that result in the user's death. Early measures adopted by this office and law enforcement, along with our government and community partners, included naloxone use; extensive public outreach and youth education; advocating for an increase in treatment availability; and collaborating in the expansion of Wellness Courts and other evidence based criminal justice diversion practices.

The opioid crisis was yet another chapter highlighting the changing and complex methodology in which prosecutors must tackle criminal justice issues. On any given day in the York County District Attorney's Office, you will overhear conversations about how to get a defendant mental health treatment or substance abuse counselling. And right down the hall you may hear another team discussing how to keep a violent offender in prison for as long as the law permits.

Every case is different, and it is the ethical duty of prosecutors to evaluate the unique circumstances of each and every case to obtain justice. The National District Attorney's Association states that "the prosecutor is an independent administrator of justice. The primary responsibility of a prosecutor is to seek justice, which can only be achieved by the representation and presentation of the truth. This responsibility includes, but is not limited to, ensuring that the guilty are held accountable, that the innocent are protected from unwarranted harm, and that the rights of all participants, including victims of crime, are vigorously honored.

This view underscores what I tell our new Assistant District Attorneys: Our job is to do the right thing every day for the right reason. Doing the right thing may mean that a defendant receives drug and alcohol or mental health treatment. Conversely, the right thing may be to zealously advocate for a conviction resulting in a mandatory sentence of life in prison, for the safety of our community.

When is a prison sentence appropriate? Regarding sentencing, our legislature provided guidance to the courts through the Sentencing Code which states in part that "the court shall follow the general principle that the sentence imposed should call for confinement that is consistent with the protection of the public, the gravity of the offense as it relates to the impact on the life of the victim and on the community, and the rehabilitative needs of the defendant."

Some crimes, due to the nature of...