Pushing the Envelope —Leadership in Prosecution
Joan E. Jacoby · Justice System Journal · 1995
Violence, dysfunctional families, homelessness, AIDS, crime, and drug abuse reflect problems existing in a world where no one is in charge and no single organization or institution can act alone to bring about solutions (Bryson and Crosby, 1992). To deal with these problems, a new form of leadership is needed— one that is based on influence relationships between leaders and followers created to achieve mutually agreed-upon goals. This article describes how four locally elected prosecutors adapted traditional roles of prosecution to meet the challenges presented by complex public problems. It describes the process that they followed, the changes that ensued, and their visions for the future. The elements common to this new direction in prosecution include I) the recognition that crime prevention is a legitimate prosecutorial goal; 2) the most effective results are obtained within small, manageable geographic areas; and 3) success or change is more likely to occur through cooperative efforts or partnerships than by dictum.“Leadership is not a personal or individual thing. It is a relationship, a process whereby people influence one another concerning real changes they intend for organizations or societies” (Rost, 1991:174).