Project INTERCEPT (Introducing New Tools based on Evidence and Risk-assessment to Confirm Eligibility for Prosecution Treatment)

The goal of Smart Prosecution is to develop a body of knowledge about data-driven strategies -- innovative, best practice, or evidence-based -- as they are implemented by prosecutors. Smart Prosecution grantees will identify a problem to be addressed and enlist a local research partner to help assess the effectiveness of their Smart Prosecution effort. Smart Prosecution grants require a research partner.

The Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney (LACA) will introduce INTERCEPT (Introducing New Tools based on Evidence and Risk-assessments to Confirm Eligibility for Prosecution Treatment) as its Smart Prosecution project. INTERCEPT is a new system advancement that will utilize evidence-based risk assessment to evaluate prosecutorial diversion approaches for misdemeanor offenders and implement restorative justice strategies in the form of Community Justice Panels (CJP). CJPs are for offenders who science predicts are appropriate for non-traditional case processing based on low-risk assessment scores. Inaugural CJPs in South Los Angeles and Hollywood will be comprised of vertical case managers and trained community volunteers. LACA's research partner will provide quantitative analysis of crime, court, and prosecutorial data to inform the nature of cases eligible for INTERCEPT and evaluate two risk assessment tools for implementation, program effectiveness, and potential expansion. CA/NCF