On June 17, 2015, the recently established Kansas County and District Attorneys Association (KCDAA) Best Practices Committee met in Wichita, Kansas to discuss options and efforts to advance positive improvements in the criminal justice system.  Representatives from fourteen counties attended. 

This statewide committee provides a forum for prosecutors to collaborate on emerging issues by encouraging positive discussion and providing access to policy resources in order to continue to improve the overall prosecution function and the criminal justice system. The charge of the committee is to identify and advise the KCDAA Board of Directors on new and emerging statewide issues for prosecutors and make recommendations to the Board for appropriate statewide initiatives dedicated to positive change and improvements in the criminal justice system.   District Attorney Charles Branson serves as a member of the KCDAA Board of Directors.

The Kansas Best Practices Committee was officially established by the KCDAA Board on March 26, 2015. The committee will meet at least twice annually and will address issues such as prosecutor media relations, law enforcement techniques, prosecutorial ethics, and discovery. The committee’s next meeting will be held during the KCDAA fall conference in October.  Senior Assistant District Attorney Amy McGowan represented the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office at the June meeting.

This leadership by Kansas prosecutors mirrors a nationwide initiative; “Best Practices for Justice” led by Kristine Hamann, Visiting Fellow at the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Hamann is a former Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

 

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