10.28.11: New Civilian Review Unit Producing Better, More Just Outcomes
October 28, 2011 -- Established in July 2011 to more effectively and efficiently resolve citizen complaints of alleged criminal conduct, the new Civilian Review Unit of the Office of the State's Attorney produced positive results during the first quarter of operation, Baltimore State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein announced today.
The Civilian Review Unit (CRU) was created at the recommendation of the expert panel that produced a report on best practices employed by prosecutors' offices in several of the nation's largest cities and in State's Attorney's Offices across Maryland.
Citizens have the right to make an application for a criminal charge with an independent court commissioner. If the commissioner determines there is probable cause to proceed, then criminal charges are filed resulting in the issuance of a summons or warrant.
As the panel points out in the best practices report, sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Committee, the court system has historically experienced congestion, some of it unwarranted, as a result of the large volume of citizen criminal complaints. CRU addresses that congestion.
Prior to the establishment of CRU, prosecutors often met with complainants for the first time on the trial date. Now, complainants must meet with a dedicated prosecutor within one week of filing an application. This early involvement improves outcomes and fairness in several ways. First, a prosecutor evaluates each case for viability before it goes to trial. Cases determined to be unviable for reasons such as insufficient evidence will be disposed of, helping to reduce the weight of the court docket. A prosecutor also can identify a better venue than court for the dispute, such as mediation. And for complaints with merit, the earlier involvement helps prosecutors to build better cases.
Through October 13, 2011, CRU closed 567 cases without a trial. The reasons for the closures are as follows:
• 412 cases - failure to appear;
• 47 cases – insufficient evidence;
• 35 cases – sent to mediation;
• 25 cases – witness credibility;
• 19 cases – no crime committed; and
• 29 cases – other.
"This is an important new unit for our city and citizens. Many civilian complaints result from disputes that do not rise to the level of criminal conduct, and put unnecessary pressure on an already busy court. The Civilian Review Unit addresses this issue and ensures that civilian complaints receive the sustained attention of a skilled prosecutor, producing better, more just outcomes," State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein said.