2013: Stop Prosecutor Bias – NDAA

Stop Prosecutor Bias

Prosecutors represent the ideal of equal justice under law. The National District Attorneys Association is the leading organization that represents prosecutors and district attorneys across the country.

Under a grant from the DOJ Office of Violence Against Women, the NDAA established a National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women. But what about the prosecution of violence against men? Research shows that “males were consistently treated more severely at every stage of the prosecution process”.

Consistent with VAWA’s Inclusion Mandate, SAVE sent letters to the NDAA on Jan. 2, 2013 and April 16, 2013, pointing out that the NDAA is violating the spirit of its own Code of Ethics, which states:

“A criminal investigation should not begin or be continued if it is motivated in whole or part by the victim or perpetrator’s race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or political affiliation unless these factors are an element of a crime or relevant to the perpetrator’s motive.”

SAVE requested that the NDAA change the name of its National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women to be gender-neutral or gender-inclusive, and that numerous misleading statements on the NDAA website be corrected.

The NDAA has yet to provide a formal response.