HCBA Lawyer Magazine Vol. 30, No. 1 | Page 14

F R O M T H E S T A T E A T T O R N E Y An d re w H. Wa r re n - St at e At t o r n ey fo r t h e T h i r t e e n t h Ju d i c i a l Ci rc u i t establishingaBlueprintforprosecutorial successinthe21stCentury O injuly,wereachedanothercriticalmilestoneinthefiu/MacArthur researchprojectwiththecompletionofareportentitled,race, ethnicityandprosecutioninHillsboroughCounty. ur criminal justice system continues to evolve as more local prosecutors embrace their responsibility to tackle complex issues like recidivism, drug addiction, mental illness, crime prevention, and racial disparities. As we recognize different goals that increase public safety and promote effectiveness and fairness, we must concede that crime rates and conviction rates are imprecise measurements for our system’s success. It is time to redefine how we evaluate the work that we do. To that end, our office is engaged in a groundbreaking national research project that will redefine the metrics of prosecutorial success. In March 2018, we were selected as one of only four prosecutor’s offices in the nation to participate in a $1.7 million grant-funded project under the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge to study and develop more effective prosecutorial practices. The grant funds a two-year project conducted by researchers at Florida International University and Loyola University to examine Continuedonpage13 12 SEPT - OCT 2019 | HCBA LAWYER