PRESS RELEASES
IIP Announces New Advisory Board
Release | April 16, 2024
The Institute for Innovation in Prosecution Board Includes Renowned Criminal Justice Experts
Today, the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College announced its new advisory board, made up of elected prosecutors from across the country alongside academics and leading criminal justice reform experts. John College of Criminal Justice President Karol Mason will continue to serve as chair of the board.
The American Bar Association Launches Prosecutorial Independence Task Force
Release | February 29, 2024
The Institute for Innovation in Prosecution to be Represented on ABA Task Force to Strengthen Prosecutorial Independence
Yesterday, the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association announced the creation of the Task Force for Prosecutorial Independence. The Task Force will work to preserve and strengthen prosecutorial independence and enhance the American public’s understanding of the prosecutor’s critical role in the criminal justice system. The Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College (“IIP”) Executive Director Rachel Marshall has been announced as a member of the ABA Task Force for Prosecutorial Independence.
In addition to serving on the Task Force, the IIP has been deeply engaged in working to protect prosecutorial independence in other ways. In 2023, the IIP filed an amicus brief in Fulton County, Georgia superior court in support of Georgia prosecutors; published opeds on the importance of preserving prosecutorial discretion; and hosted numerous webinars on topics related to prosecutorial independence.
The Institute for Innovation in Prosecution Files Amicus Brief in Support of Georgia Prosecutors
Release | September 5, 2023
The IIP Defends Prosecutorial Independence and Challenges the Legality of New Georgia Law, SB 92
“Today, the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College (“IIP”) filed an amicus brief in Fulton County, Georgia superior court in support of prosecutorial discretion and the rights of local prosecutors to implement approaches supported by their communities.
The IIP’s amicus brief was filed in support of a lawsuit by the Public Rights Project on behalf of four Georgia prosecutors who are challenging SB 92, a new law that establishes a commission with the power to remove locally-elected prosecutors for so-called abandonment of duties. Prosecutors who are removed by the commission cannot serve again for ten years. The IIP, represented pro bono by Proskauer, filed its amicus brief in support of the prosecutors’ motion for an injunction to prevent the commission from acting.”
Statement on Governor Ron DeSantis’s Suspension of State Atttorney Monique Worrell
Release | August 9, 2023
The IIP Condemns Governor Ron Desantis's Removal of a Locally-Elected Prosecutor
“The IIP strongly condemns Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s suspension of State Attorney Monique Worrell. Governor DeSantis’s action undermines the foundation of our legal system and flouts the will of the local community who overwhelmingly elected State Attorney Worrell.
Communities elect prosecutors to be responsive to local priorities; prosecutors serve and are accountable to those same communities. Florida Governor DeSantis’s removal of a locally-elected prosecutor and installation of his own, unelected replacement defies any purported commitment to democracy.
Governor DeSantis’s action is only the latest in a national, coordinated strategy to target reform prosecutors—including the passage of SB 92 in Georgia, which allows for the removal of prosecutors based on their constitutionally protected use of discretion.”
Rachel Marshall Named New Director of John Jay College of Criminal Justice Institute for Innovation in Prosecution
Release | March 8, 2023
Experienced Attorney to Lead Center’s Efforts to Support Prosecutors in Making Communities Safe and Fair
“The John Jay College of Criminal Justice proudly names Rachel Marshall as the new Director of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution IIP), a bipartisan think tank that brings together prosecutors, policy experts, and the communities they serve to promote data-driven strategies, cutting-edge scholarship, and innovations that support safety and justice.
‘Rachel brings to the IIP a great deal of experience in criminal justice reform and innovation, including experience partnering with practitioners, elected officials and community partners to develop and implement policies that make communities safer and more equitable,’ said John Jay President Karol V. Mason. ‘As Director of IIP, Rachel will build on IIP’s core mission of ensuring that prosecutors have the tools they need to engage deeply with their communities and implement solutions to key public safety challenges, from effectively addressing violent crime to creating diversion programs to supporting the needs of victims.’”