Weekly COVID-19 Report for Prosecutors and Courts, October 28, 2020

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October 28, 2020 - Bulletin No. 20

Prosecutors' offices and court systems across the nation are being impacted by COVID-19. Their daily work to maintain constitutional justice is being uprooted, altered, and halted. CNA and NDAA have partnered to actively develop and disseminate useful COVID-19 response resources to prosecutors and courts to support them during this trying time. This weekly bulletin shares helpful information and resources, as well as upcoming virtual networking events.

Useful Resources

Follow-Up Resources: Mental Wellness Virtual Discussion

On September 17, 2020, CNA and the NDAA hosted a virtual discussion on Mental Wellness of Prosecutors and Court Staff. Panelists from Johnson County, Kansas, Missoula County, Montana, and Los Angeles County, California discussed a variety of issues impacting prosecutors’ mental wellness, such as returning to the office, expected workload pressure, and the current perception of the criminal justice system. This document highlights resources from this discussion and provides specifics on how agencies are currently managing and responding to these mental health concerns.

View the post-webinar document here and the full virtual discussion here.

Resiliency Tips for the Domestic Violence Prosecutor

The COVID-19 pandemic has lead to an increase in domestic violence across the nation. In this blog post, Brittany Scordo, Director of Victim Services, and Lou Anna Red Corn, Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney, of the Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office discuss strategies that attorneys can use to acknowledge the effects of toxic stress, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue.

Read the post here

Court News & Innovative Responses

Washington County, Oregon

Washington County Circuit Court opened a satellite court at the newly constructed Wingspan Event & Conference Center to address case backlogs. For more information, click here.

San Diego, California

San Diego Courts postponed an upcoming trial due to low jury summons response rates. The jurisdiction is pursuing other strategies such as increasing the number of summons sent to potential jurors to address the issue. For more information, click here.

Montgomery County, Texas

The Montgomery County commissioners approved plans to convert the Montgomery County Convention Center into a courthouse for upcoming jury selections. For more information, click here.

From NDAA

Help Us Help You

CNA & NDAA would like to continue providing prosecutors and court staff with resources that are helpful! Please take a moment to answer the below poll about future topics.

What topic is most relevant to you and your office?

Alternative Locations for Court Proceedings

Case Backlogs

Jury Selection

Housing/Evictions

Victim Services

Prosecutors & Criminal Justice Reform

Select

We want to hear from you! If you would like to submit questions or have other concerns, please email us at covid19_courts@cna.org.

COVID-19-related news articles and resources, and past bulletins will be posted on the NDAA website. Continue to check the website for updated information.

NDAA | Website Blog

CNA | Website