Title
City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office Overview
Description
This report provides an overview of the City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office to the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
This report serves as an overview of the City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office as well as data on the cases the Prosecutor's Office handles, including cases involving domestic violence. The staff presentation will include the following:
- Jurisdiction of the City Prosecutor's Office
- Mission of the City Prosecutor's Office
- Relationship between the Prosecutor's Office and the Police Department
- Overview of Cases Prosecuted and Dismissed
- Recent examples
Jurisdiction
The criminal jurisdiction of the City Prosecutor's Office includes misdemeanor crimes committed within the City limits. There are three classes of misdemeanor crimes, which include:
- Class 1: Maximum six months in jail, $2,500 fine and surcharges with three years of summary probation.
- Class 2: Maximum four months in jail, $750 fine and surcharges with two years of summary probation.
- Class 3: Maximum one month in jail, $500 fine and surcharges with one year of summary probation.
Mission
The mission of the City Prosecutor's Office is to "provide effective and efficient justice for all." The qualities of "effective justice" are to promote victim safety, public safety, defendant accountability, defendant rehabilitation where possible, and safe, liable communities and public spaces while securing conviction for a future felony. Additionally, "efficient justice" understands that prosecutorial resources are limited, avoids unnecessary steps to achieve justice, and avoids litigation that serves no prosecutorial purpose. Lastly, "justice for all" is the promise of equal justice under the law and is achieved by treating everyone with fairness, dignity and respect through an understanding of the imperfections of the justice system and by making decisions that are informed from the realities of peoples' lives.
Relationship with the Police Department
The Prosecutor's Office and the Police Department share the same goal of making the community safe and livable. However, the system is established to separate the two entities for important practical, legal, and societal reasons.
Overview of Cases
In Fiscal Year 2023-24, the Prosecutor's Office reviewed 28,700 cases. The top categories of misdemeanor charges include trespass and assaults. For the City's Prosecutor Office, 21 percent of all cases are domestic violence, which include crimes such as assault and criminal damage.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by City Manager Jeffrey Barton and the Law Department.