PROSECUTION BEYOND BIG CITIES

About the Beyond Big Cities Initiative

Over the last several years, the nation’s conversation surrounding changes in prosecution has focused on a handful of urban, well-resourced prosecutor’s offices. The IIP has engaged with many of these prosecutors since our inception, and we are proud to continue working with them. But with 2300+ offices across the country, we will need more than just the commitment of big city prosecutors to create sustainable and effective change. It is imperative that we include and uplift prosecutors in smaller jurisdictions who may lack the resources of big city offices but are not lacking in their commitment to justice and equity.

With the support of Microsoft’s Justice Reform Initiative, the IIP laucnhed a program to engage jurisdictions with medium and small-sized offices, particularly in rural areas. You can learn more about the members of the Beyond Big Cities Initiative below.

A series of best practice guides, geared toward small offices, can be found by clicking here.

Beyond Big Cities Convening

In June of 2022, the IIP hosted the first in person Beyond Big Cities convening at John Jay College. Members were brought together to discuss a number of issues including racial disparities in the system, external messaging, and meaningful community engagement. Additionally, members were taken to the Fortune Society to learn about reentry, the impacts of incarceration, and engage with formerly incarcerated individuals receiving services at the Fortune Society.

Beyond Big Cities Paper Series

Click each image to take you to the paper description and link.

Beyond Big Cities Panel

Panelists:
Christopher Donelan, Sheriff, Franklin County, MA
Deborah Gonzalez, District Attorney, Western Judicial Circuit, GA
Maybell Romero, Associate Professor of Law, Tulane University
Moderated by Alissa Marque Heydari, Deputy Director, Institute for Innovation in Prosecution