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In 1992, before I began
the job of District Attorney, your DA's office had
only one specialized division: the juvenile
division. It consisted of a single prosecutor who
operated a small caseload in two courts. Since then,
the juvenile division has grown... and the number of
specialized divisions has also grown to address the
mounting number of cases which are filed in our
growing number of courts.
Much as doctors, engineers, and attorneys frequently
engage in specialization in order to deliver a more
expert product to their clients, I believe that
prosecutors’ offices which are capable of
establishing specialized case loads should do so.
This affords the opportunity for experienced
prosecutors to gain extraordinary experience and
training in one area, instead of gaining a limited
amount of training and experience in many areas.
The prosecutors who staff specialized caseloads fill
positions, which, like all county employees, must be
approved by the Commissioners’ Court. Some positions
are financed with money obtained at one time or
another by way of grants. Currently, we have
specialized caseloads in the areas of child abuse,
domestic violence, juvenile law, narcotics law,
appellate law, grand jury/general felony intake,
Justice Court prosecution, defendants with mental
health issues, and economic crimes.
The prosecutors who handle these unique caseloads
seek out this work. They enjoy going to training
sessions which concentrate on problems and issues
unique to their area of prosecution, and gain
singular experience and success by handling and
trying these cases. |
Senior
prosecutors staffing a case |
