Prosecutors have adopted a primarily rehabilitation-oriented approach to juvenile justice, while still seeing the need for punishment and incapacitation. Novel initiatives, such as pretrial diversion, collaboration with other institutions, and the adoption of risk assessment instruments, have made them more effective in ensuring public safety. Prosecutors further illustrate the contribution that mental illness and substance abuse issues play in the juvenile justice system.
Too many Houston crimes go unsolved. Here’s how to change that.
The latest HPD scandal underscores a national problem. Commit a crime, get caught and go to jail — directly to jail. It’s the justice lesson we learned growing up, but it’s far from reality in cities across the nation, where clearance rates are abominably low. News out of Houston is compounding the issue of unsolved crimes after the Houston...