I am very proud of the progress my office has made over the past 12 years
toward reducing juvenile crime, targeting the worst of the adult
offenders for the longest possible prison sentences, and protecting
and supporting victims of crime. Many of the prevention programs I
have initiated and implemented have significantly contributed to
this success.
These programs include the SMART Program
established in 7 separate school districts and 55 different schools
throughout Pima County in which juvenile prosecutors regularly meet and coordinate with law
enforcement, school administrators, teachers and staff to keep
juvenile offenders from becoming career criminals.
The ACT Now Truancy Enforcement Program
helps ensure that our young people remain in school and are less
likely to engage in delinquent criminal acts.
Eleven Community Justice Boards consisting of
trained adult volunteers, work with non-violent delinquent juveniles
in their neighborhoods. The Boards divert juveniles from prosecution
and hold them accountable for their criminal offenses by making
restitution and apologizing to their victims, their parents, and
their community, The Boards also work with their families to help
the juveniles avoid re-offending.
The Lock Up Your Gun Campaign,
implemented in more than 160 pediatrician offices in Tucson, and the CARGO Program, teach responsible gun ownership and have
provided more than 16,000 free gun locks to gun owners in our
community.
I am extremely proud of our nationally and internationally acclaimed Victim Witness Program
which provides court advocacy and year round 24/7 crisis support to
victims of crime throughout
The 88-CRIME hotline, and
the Cold Case Homicide Unit,
which, since its inception, has solved and prosecuted more than a
dozen formerly “cold” murder cases. I am very proud to have created
and implemented the number one Bad
Check Program in the nation.