HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.
![handle is hein.brennan/fdprosce0001 and id is 1 raw text is:
B RE N NAN
CENTER
FOR JUSTICE
at New York University School ofLaw
Federal Prosecution for the 21st Century:
Fiscal Impact Statement
By Oliver Roeder, Nicole Fortier
The Brennan Center's recent report, Federal Prosecutionfor the 21st Centu, proposes a mission shift for
federal prosecution: a reorientaton toward the twin goals of reducing crime and reducing mass
incarceration. It recommends that the Justice Department institutionalize this change by
implementing new prionites and success measures.
This analysis presents the estimated budgetary cost savings of a reduction in the federal prison
population achieved by implementing this reform. At best estimate, this reform would result in
approximately 100,000 fewer federal prisoners per year, saving the Justice Department over
$1.2 billion annually and $19 billion over 10 years - without compromising public safety.' As
explained below, higher or lower cost savings could result depending on how deeply the reforms are
institutionalized within U.S. Attorneys' Offices.
Summar of Report Recommiendations
The Justice Department can implement 21st century federal prosecution by:
* Articulating new prionites for federal prosecution: reducing violent and serious crime,
reducing incarceration, and reducing recidivism;
* Evaluating the performance of U.S. Attorneys' Offices based on success measures that
track progress toward these priorities;
* Modifying the evaluations of individual prosecutors to include similar success measures;
* Provide additional funding for Offices that successfully reduce the numbers of defendants
sent to prison; and
* Encouraging Offices to implement complementary changes in their individual offices.
As Attorney General Eric Holder stated in September, [These] concrete recommendations - that
federal prosecutors should prioritize reducing violence, incarceration, and recidivism - are consistent
with the aims of the Smart on Crime initiative. The new metrics [proposed] - such as evaluating
progress by assessing changes in local violent crime rates, numbers of federal prisoners initially
found in particular districts, and changes in the three-year recidivism rate - lay out a promising
roadmap.
Olver Roeder is an Economics Fellow at the Brennan Center. Nicole Fortier is a Counsel at the Center and co-author of
Federal Prosecution for the 21st Centuy.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.brennan/fdprosce0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)