U.S. Attorney's Office and One Safe Place Hold Smart on Crime Conference in Arlington, Texas

DALLAS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and the Safe City Commission, which provides programing and services as One Safe Place in Fort Worth, Texas, is hosting a Smart on Crime-Connecting Resources Conference today in Arlington, Texas, at the Mac Bernd Professional Development Center, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker, of the Northern District of Texas.

Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Lewis, of the Northern District of Texas, and Ken Shetter, President of One Safe Place, opened this conference this morning.  Other presenters at the conference included experts from various agencies and organizations who spoke on various aspects of the five principles of Smart on Crime.

At the direction of the Attorney General in 2013, the Justice Department launched a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system to identify reforms that would ensure laws are more fairy enforced and – in an era of reduced budgets – more efficiently.  Smart on Crime is a series of directives to U.S. Attorney Offices across the nation designed to redirect efforts and assets toward more measure, individualized examinations of both the crime and the criminal.

The five principles of Smart on Crime are:  1) prioritize prosecutions to focus on most serious cases; 2) reform sentencing to eliminate unfair disparities and reduce overburdened prisons; 3) pursue alternatives to incarceration for low-level, non-violent crimes; 4) improve reentry to curb repeat offenses and re-victimizations; and 5) improve reentry to curb repeat offenses and re-victimization.

This Smart on Crime conference brought together representatives from multiple federal, state, and local agencies who are involved in the fight against violent crime so they may develop strong relationships and engage in robust information sharing so that common goals can be achieved.

For more information about Smart on Crime, go to https://www.justice.gov/ag/attorney-generals-smart-crime-initiative

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