Smart Prosecutions: Data Driven Approaches to Gun Violence.

• Author: Rundle, Kathrine Fernandez

Miami has come a long way from its well-known Cocaine Cowboy and Miami Vice days during the past 30 years. As of 2019, the crime rate was down almost 70%. Unfortunately, like most major urban areas, the past year-and-a-half brought more than a virus to Miami-Dade County. (1) During this time, the county has experienced a surge in the number of assaults and homicides.

Research suggests that a number of conditions contribute to gun violence, including a lack of adequate housing, healthcare, education, and employment. While prosecutors have limited ability to address these kinds of social injustices and barriers, we can make our communities safer by building relationships, working closely with those who live there, and aggressively, but appropriately, targeting the small number of people responsible for the vast majority of the crimes in the areas where they are committing them. (2)

Like every other prosecutor's office, we assign our homicide cases to the most senior prosecutors. However, we supplement their efforts through various preventative, proactive, and reactive measures. In this article, we explore some of the less common methods we have employed during the past three decades, as well as our prevention and enforcement strategies that have impacted future crime.

SMART PROSECUTIONS

Consistent with our Smart Justice approach, the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office (SAO) employs evidence-based outcome-oriented strategies for preventing crime and addressing hardened criminals and street violence. In essence, we work hard to prevent the crimes we can, but do not hesitate to incapacitate those we must.

COMMUNITY BASED INITIATIVES TO REDUCE VIOLENCE

Prevention

The SAO s Community Outreach Division (COD) engages in numerous activities to prevent and address criminal activities. COD's activities have helped the SAO develop critical relationships in the community that enhance our ability to obtain justice.

The SAO also is a proud partner in Miami-Dade County's Anti-Violence Initiative, which has a strong prevention component. AVI staff give gang awareness presentations, conducting reading sessions with early learners at childcare centers, speak with youth about bullying and other forms of violence, conduct peace walks, and more. The AVI conducts "Walking One Stops," which brings together elected officials, providers, activists, faith leaders, and justice personnel to deliver federal, state, and local social and economic services to the doorstep of residents in impacted neighborhoods.

Deterrence and Suppression

As part of the AVI, the county's Group Violence Initiative (GV1) deters violent behavior by fostering relationships between law enforcement officers and community members. Through the GVI...