1. Tammy Westcott, Assistant District Attorney Director of Alternative Courts Tulsa County, Oklahoma

2.  Non-adversarial courts  An effective prosecutor has a different mindset ◦ Therapeutic approach ◦ Teamwork with the judge, defense attorneys, and the drug court team ◦ Works toward recovery and productive citizenship rather than incarceration ◦ Belief in the effectiveness of alternative courts

3.  Action and result oriented behavior, instead of one that waits for things to happen and then tries to adjust (react)  Identifies and explores opportunities  Takes preemptory action against potential problems rather than solving a problem after it occurs *from Business Dictionary

4.  #1: Participates fully as a Drug Court team member, committing him or herself to the program mission & goals and works as a full partner to ensure their success. *from Adult DCPI Trainings

5.  #2: The prosecutor participates as a team member, operating in a non- adversarial manner, promoting a sense of a unified team presence. *from Adult DCPI Trainings

6.  #3: As part of the Drug court team, in appropriate non-court settings (i.e. staffing), the prosecutor advocates for effective incentives and sanctions for program compliance or lack thereof. Core Competencies of the Prosecutor in Alternative Courts* *from Adult DCPI Trainings

7.  #4: Ensures community safety concerns by maintaining eligibility standards while participating in a non-adversarial environment which focuses on the benefits of therapeutic program outcomes. Core Competencies of the Prosecutor in Alternative Courts* *from Adult DCPI Trainings

8. Core Competencies of the Prosecutor in Alternative Courts*  #5: Monitors offender progress to define parameters of behavior that allow continued program participation and suggests effective incentives and sanctions for program compliance. *from Adult DCPI Trainings

9. Core Competencies of the Prosecutor in Alternative Courts*  #6: Is knowledgeable about addiction, alcoholism and pharmacology generally and applies that knowledge to respond to compliance in a therapeutically appropriate manner. *from Adult DCPI Trainings

10. Core Competencies of the Prosecutor in Alternative Courts* #7: Is knowledgeable of gender, age and cultural issues that may impact the offender’s success. *from Adult DCPI Trainings

11. Core Competencies of the Prosecutor in Alternative Courts* #8: Contributes to the team’s efforts in community education and local resource acquisition. *from Adult DCPI Trainings

12. Core Competencies of the Prosecutor in Alternative Courts* #9: Contributes to the education of peers, colleagues and the judiciary on the efficacy of Drug Courts. *from Adult DCPI Trainings

13. Practical ways to be a proactive prosecutor

14.  Become active in pre-screening defendants and encouraging application to drug court ◦ Work with Court Services or other agency at the jail to pre-screen possible applicants ◦ Notify the arraignment judge and/or fellow prosecutors that a person might be a good candidate for an alternative court (not a guarantee) ◦ Scan intake or charges ready to be filed for potential candidates and have a way to ‘flag’ cases

20. March 2010 – March 2011: 11% increase March 2010 – March 2012: 14% increase March 2010 – Feb 2013: 39% increase End of year active counts 2010 vs. 2011: 8% increase 2010 vs. 2012: 28% increase

21. 2010 to 2011: 28% increase 2010 to 2012: 53% increase

22.  Write articles for local criminal law publications (handout – “Collaborative Justice”)  Hold training events for all assistant district attorneys in your office ◦ Who are good candidates for the program ◦ Admission procedures ◦ Get a group associated with alternative courts to provide lunch  Try to encourage the administration to allow new attorneys to shadow you for a day or two

23.  Orientation speech  Reminders at review dockets  Holidays  Warning if you see trends (i.e. K2 use)  Be present in staffing and at review dockets  Congratulate participants at promotions & encourage continued compliance (*post-plea adjudication)  Attend Graduations #3: Encourage Graduation & Pro-social behavior

24. 54% increase in # of graduates

25.  Courts where the prosecutor attended staffing meetings had an average graduation rate of 58% versus 43% in courts where attendance occurred only occasionally or not at all.  For drug courts where the prosecutor attended drug court sessions, graduation rates were higher (55% vs. 46%) and there was substantial improvement in participant outcome costs compared to courts where the prosecutor did not attend (34% improvement in lowering outcome costs relative to their comparison group. ) Research confirms that the presence of the prosecutor at staffing and review dockets matters NPC Research March 2008 http://www.npcresearch.com/Files/NIJ _Cross-site_Final_Report_0308.pdf

26. Recognize Promotions and Encourage Continued Success

32.  Maintain a mindset of working with your team on therapeutic approaches toward recovery and productive citizenship, rather than incarceration  Continue to educate yourself about best practices, addiction, alcoholism, and pharmacology  Make efforts to educate peers, colleagues, the judiciary, and the community on the efficacy of Drug Courts (write articles, hold training events)

33.  Seek ways to encourage more applicants  Be present at staff meetings and at court reviews as much as possible  Encourage Pro-Social Behavior and Graduation (orientation speech, recognize promotions, attend graduation)

34. Contact Info: Tammy Westcott, ADA 918-596-4893 twestcott@tulsacounty.org