We review our materials of particular cases for each meeting and bring them with us, said Andrew Jennings, assistant district attorney and team member. We all have updated, current information on the case. We have improved the way we do things, and we discuss options to improve the system. The team s efforts are working. What was once a backlog of 100 pending child sexual abuse cases has been cut down to 45 cases, many of which are recent.
Convictions are also on the rise.
In 2000, the District Attorney s office had 25 convictions of sex crimes against children, and have already gotten 15 in 2001. Jennings said 75 percent of convicted offenders receive prison or jail time in part. There has been a tremendous increase in convictions since the Advocacy Center opened. We are making better cases. We know each other better and that has changed our way of operating, Jennings said.