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TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Department of Justice today announced its intent to award $100,000 to the Pima County Attorney's Office to enhance community outreach and prosecution programs, including expanding the office's Community Prosecution Project into the City of South Tuscon.

Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Justice Department's intent to award the grant at Project Yes Inc. in South Tuscon with Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall and other law enforcement officials. Community Prosecution focuses on problem solving, strategic planning and working in partnership with the community to prevent crime and violence and improve public safety.

"The Department of Justice is committed to community justice that focuses on a broad base of partnerships, " said Holder. "Pima County has developed a wide range of programs, including Community Justice Boards, and this grant will allow successful programs to expand to areas like South Tuscon."

The Enhancement Grant, which will be the first awarded under a $5 million nationwide Community Prosecution pilot program, will support expansion of existing community prosecution programs that involve broad-based partnerships into communities like the City of South Tuscon. South Tuscon, a community that has actively addressed concerns and focuses on resident involvement, has experienced a serious crime problem. Working with the community to identify local public safety priorities and problem-solving strategies, the Pima County Attorney's Office plans to use the grant announced today to expand its Community Prosecution Project.

"This grant will allow us to expand our existing collaborations and to work with the community to reduce crime and increase public safety in a very unique part of Pima County, " said LaWall.

The grant will help the Pima County Attorney's Office undertake several activities including creation of a Community Court in South Tuscon and the hiring of a community prosecutor that will be assigned to handle adult misdemeanor cases. The prosecutor will work with the offender and community to identify an appropriate community-oriented restitution. It is estimated the Community Court will handle as many as 1,000 cases a year when fully operational.

In addition, the Pima County Attorney's Office plans to implement Operation Spotlight, a process that brings together a community prosecutor, citizens, community police officers and community probation and parole officers into a functioning team to deter repeat felony offenders from criminal activity.

The grant will also allow Pima County to expand its current Community Prosecution Project throughout Pima county. Currently, outreach staff must decline many outreach opportunities. As the project expands to South Tuscon, outreach staff will be working at the grassroots community level, holding meetings with community leaders to develop the program, as well as continuing their efforts to coordinate programs in the rest of the county.

The grant announced today is awarded through a component of the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) supports innovative programs that strengthen the nation's criminal justice system by providing funding, training, technical assistance and information to state and community criminal justice programs and by emphasizing the coordination of federal, state and local efforts.

"Our primary mission is to provide leadership and a wide range of assistance to local criminal justice strategies to make America's communities safer," said Holder.

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