U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Library & Multimedia
 Role of the Multnomah County District Attorney in Order Maintenance: 1990-2000
NCJ Number
              194262

Author(s)
          Barbara Boland
Date Published

December 2001
Length
              47 pages
Publication Series
          NIJ Research Report
Annotation
              This description and analysis of the work of deputy district attorneys assigned to the Multnomah County (Oregon) District Attorney's community prosecution unit argues that citizenry demands for attention to low-level problems of public order are drawing the District Attorney's Office into the task of order maintenance previously left to the police, such that prosecutors are shifting from their traditional focus on adversarial litigation.
Abstract
              The Portland Neighborhood District Attorney (NDA) unit is unique in its assignment of eight deputy district attorneys to work full-time on citizen-identified, quality-of-life issues (the popular term for order maintenance). This report describes the genesis of the NDA unit; other events in Portland of which the NDA unit was but one part; the geography of the drug and disorder problem that was the impetus for the formation of the NDA unit; and events in one neighborhood for a decade, which exemplify the essential features of the organizational changes that are emerging over time. The information presented in this report was collected over a period of 7 years, beginning in March 1994 through July 2000, including 12 weeks on site. The primary sources of information were the attorneys, citizens, and police officers involved in the activities described, as well as others involved in similar activities throughout the city. Data were collected through interviews, on-site observation, analysis of monthly attorney work reports, public documents such as action plans, a daily review of Portland's major newspaper, and statistical reports from a variety of sources. Findings showed that the NDA brought a variety of skills to the collective efforts to address public order and drug-dealing in the downtown area. The NDA's brought to this effort what no other resource could bring, i.e., their knowledge of the law and the power of the DA's office to invoke the law to address behaviors that for the most part were problems of public order. The NDA used those areas of the legal code that regulate mostly minor offenses against public order, in which the primary goal is maintaining the public peace rather than punishment of the perpetrators. The solutions devised did not depend for the most part on invoking the adversarial process or the deprivations of liberty associated with the adversarial process. Operationally, the police must intervene on the community's behalf, and when police intervention alone does not result in compliance, it is the NDA's who defend the community's right to intervene by making sure the legal and operational capacity is in place to bring violators in front of a judge, who can affirm the legality of the intervention. 5 tables and a 47-item bibliography
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        95-IJ-CX-0112


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Study/Research)
    
  
  
Date Published: December 1, 2001
    
          Downloads
        
                      PDF

Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              NIJ Journal
    
      
            
            
            
      Podcasts
    
      
            
            
            
      Publications Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Multimedia Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Software & Databases
    
      
            
            
            
      Datasets
    
      
            
            
            
      PatentsRelated Topics
        
                Community action programs
        Community crime prevention programs
        Community involvement
        Crime prevention
        Drug law offenses



  
Similar Publications
        
                      Obstacles and facilitators to intimate bystanders reporting violent extremism or targeted violence
                  Heterogeneous Information Network Embedding With Adversarial Disentangler
                  Cohort bias in predictive risk assessments of future criminal justice system involvement
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov