HCBA Lawyer Magazine Vol. 28, No. 4 | Page 12

F R O M T H E S T A T E A T T O R N E Y An d re w H. Wa r re n - St at e At t o r n ey fo r t h e T h i r t e e n t h Ju d i c i a l Ci rc u i t engaging the Community in our Criminal Justice system ne of our goals at the State Attorney’s Office is to develop a significant presence in the dynamic and multi- faceted community that we serve. Doing so means interacting with residents so that they have a better understanding of who we are and what we do; partnering with attorneys, stakeholders, and organizations involved in the criminal justice system; and educating neighborhood associations about new programs. 10 O robust community engagement builds trust and promotes transparency and accountability, which leads to more amicable interactions and cooperation. Robust community engagement builds trust and promotes transparency and accountability, which leads to more amicable interactions and cooperation. It gives the community a voice about our criminal justice system, which in turn provides us with invaluable insight into how our prosecutorial decisions and policies impact community health, safety, and crime at a grassroots level. And it gives us a way to increase public knowledge about Continued on page 11 MAR - APR 2018 | HCBA LAWYER