The Michigan Public Policy Survey Spring 2024 Data Tables for County Prosecutors

Summary tables for questionnaire items from the County Prosecutors’ version for the Spring 2024 Wave of the MPPS broken down by agency type are accessible below.

Table of Contents

Staffing

2. 1. Sufficient assistant prosecuting attorneys in office to cover workload
   2. Sufficient support staff in office to cover workload
3. 1. Recruiting qualified law enforcement officers a problem for Office or Department
   2. Retaining qualified assistant prosecutors a problem
   3. Office morale a problem
   4. Negative interactions with judges a problem
   5. Negative interactions with defense counsel
   6. Lack of training opportunities a problem
   7. Workload a problem
4. 1. Increasing pay rates would help recruitment or retention
   2. Increasing benefits would help recruitment or retention
   3. Work-from-home opportunities would help recruitment or retention
   4. Increasing nontraditional incentives (e.g., more paid time off, increased parental leave, flexible schedules, childcare, etc.) would help recruitment or retention
   5. Loan repayment assistance programs would help recruitment or retention
   6. Creating or expanding “pipeline” programs would help recruitment or retention
   7. A formal mentoring program for new APAs would help recruitment or retention
   8. Increasing opportunities for professional development and/or advancement would help recruitment or retention

Law Enforcement Funding

6. County’s appropriations of funding to meet County Prosecutor’s office needs


7. County’s appropriations of funding to meet Sheriff’s Office needs


8. 1. Priority of increasing pay or benefits for current APAs if given additional funding
   2. Priority of hiring new APAs if given additional funding
   3. Priority of increasing pay or benefits for current support staff if given additional funding
   4. Priority of hiring new support staff if given additional funding
   5. Priority of additional training for Assistant Prosecutors and/or staff if given additional funding
   6. Priority of victim advocacy if given additional funding
   7. Priority of community outreach events or initiatives if given additional funding
   8. Priority of pre-trial diversion programs if given additional funding
   9. Priority of technology upgrades if given additional funding

State-level Reforms

9. Support or oppose the State of Michigan requiring attorneys in both public and private practice to complete formal continuing legal education programs


10. 1. Increases in State resources for indigent defense will result in defendants receiving better legal representation
    2. Increases in State resources for indigent defense will result in defense attorneys able to devote more time and attention to each case than prosecutors can
    3. Increases in State resources for indigent defense will result in increased equity in the criminal justice system
    4. Increases in State resources for indigent defense will result in more competition to attract and retain the best attorneys
    5. Increases in State resources for indigent defense will result in more defendants choosing to go to trial

11. Support or oppose the State of Michigan transitioning both the Courts and the Public Defenders to a regional system funded and operated by the State (a District Attorney system)

Public Safety Service Satisfaction

12. 1. Prosecutors’ satisfaction with state police
    2. Prosecutors’ satisfaction with county sheriff’s office
    3. Prosecutors’ satisfaction with local police departments in county

Law Enforcement and Crime

13. 1. Violent crimes as a problem in jurisdiction
    2. Domestic violence as a problem in jurisdiction
    3. Property crimes as a problem in jurisdiction
    4. Drug crimes as a problem in jurisdiction
    5. Public-order offenses as a problem in jurisdiction
    6. Crime overall as a problem in jurisdiction

Police-Community Relations

14. 1. Most people in jurisdiction trust law enforcement officers
    2. Inappropriate use of force by law enforcement is an issue
    3. Concern that a major incident of civil unrest connected to police use of force could happen in jurisdiction
    4. Most law enforcement officers in jurisdiction treat all people professionally

15. 1. Relationship between Prosecutor’s Office and County Board of Commissioners
    2. Relationship between Prosecutor’s Office and County Sheriff’s Office
    3. Relationship between Prosecutor’s Office and local police departments in county overall
    4. Relationship between Prosecutor’s Office and trial court judges in county overall

Court Reforms

17. 1. Support for or opposition to limiting the use of fines and fees in sentencing to those who are able to pay
    2. Support for or opposition to restrictions on the use of cash bail for low-level or non-violent offenses
    3. Support for or opposition to using structured screening tools to guide decisions on pre-trial release and release options
    4. Support for or opposition to shifting costs of monitoring from the defendant to the court
    5. Support for or opposition to victim restitution to be handled by the State instead of through local counties

18. 1. Whether cash bail effective for reducing no-shows
    2. Whether cash bail effective for increasing community safety

19. 1. Whether cash bail has different consequences for community members based on socioeconomic status
    2. Whether cash bail has different consequences for community members based on race or ethnicity

20. 1. County has drug/alcohol treatment courts or programs
    2. County has behavioral/mental health programs
    3. County has Veterans court
    4. County has other general diversion programs for lower-level, non-violent cases (e.g., theft and fraud cases)
    5. County does not have above diversion programs
    6. Don’t know if county has diversion programs

21. 1. Whether pre-trial diversion programs help or harm recidivism rates
    2. Whether pre-trial diversion programs help or harm public safety in the community
    3. Whether pre-trial diversion programs help or harm law enforcement officers’ workload
    4. Whether pre-trial diversion programs help or harm the wellbeing of defendants with mental illness or drug dependency

22. Support or oppose local pre-trial diversion programs in general
23. Support or oppose local gun diversion programs specifically

Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs)

24. 1. Confidence that local law enforcement officers have sufficient training to decide when an ERPO is appropriate
    2. Confidence that local officers have sufficient training on the process for petitioning the court for an ERPO
    3. Confidence that local non-law enforcement petitioners will use the ERPO process correctly
    4. Confidence that judges in your county will make appropriate decisions regarding ERPOs
    5. Confidence that local law enforcement officers will be safe when serving an ERPO in your county
    6. Confidence that ERPOs are likely to reduce gun violence

Traffic stops for minor violations

25. 1. Stops for minor violations increase or decrease public safety
    2. Stops for minor violations increase or decrease officer safety
    3. Stops for minor violations increase or decrease community trust in police
    4. Stops for minor violations increase or decrease perceptions of racial profiling by police

Factors in Vote Decision in Prosecutor Elections

26. 1. Local crime rate important to voters
    2. Conviction rate important to voters
    3. Prevalence of wrongful convictions important to voters
    4. Pursuing maximum penalties for offenses important to voters
    5. Involvement in the community important to voters
    6. Treatment of victims important to voters
    7. Treatment of juveniles important to voters
    8. Pursuing alternatives to detention for offenses important to voters
    9. Perceived fairness important to voters
    10. Relationships with community organizations (e.g., faith-based, organized labor, etc.) important to voters
    11. Partisan affiliation important to voters

Data Collection and Use in Prosecution

27. 1. Extent of office use of police video data (e.g., dashboard and body cameras)
    2. Extent of office use of other public surveillance video data (e.g., cameras on buildings/streetlights, automated license plate readers, etc.)
    3. Extent of office use of third-party video data (e.g., Ring doorbell video, cell phone video from miscellaneous eyewitnesses, etc.)
    4. Extent of office use of data from forensic analysis of defendants’ cell phones
    5. Extent of office use of facial recognition technology

28. 1. Reviewing digital evidence a problem
    2. Redacting digital evidence a problem
    3. Producing digital evidence in discovery a problem
    4. Presenting digital evidence in court a problem

30. Perceived accuracy of automated risk assessment tools


31. 1. Trust AI for police departments monitoring social media for events where a crime might happen
    2. Trust AI for police departments identifying high-risk neighborhoods
    3. Trust AI for Assistant Prosecutors writing legal briefs
    4. Trust AI for processing and analyzing forensic evidence
    5. Trust AI for risk assessments for sentencing and offers of parole, probation, or release

32. 1. Office shares performance data with county’s Board of Commissioners
    2. Office shares performance data with residents in the county
    3. Office shares performance data with the media

33. 1. Confidence that County’s Board of Commissioners can correctly interpret data on prosecutions
    2. Confidence that residents in the county can correctly interpret data on prosecutions
    3. Confidence that the media can correctly interpret data on prosecutions

34. 1. Dedicating the necessary personnel is a problem in collection and use of performance data
    2. Time required is a problem in collection and use of performance data
    3. Ability to make sense of data is a problem in collection and use of performance data
    4. Ability to implement change in response to data findings is a problem in collection and use of performance data
    5. Protecting confidentiality is a problem in collection and use of performance data
    6. Producing specific data when needed is a problem in collection and use of performance data

35. 1. Support or oppose publicly disclosing authorizing charges and charging decisions
    2. Support or oppose publicly disclosing habitual offender designations
    3. Support or oppose publicly disclosing diversion opportunities
    4. Support or oppose publicly disclosing deferral opportunities
    5. Support or oppose publicly disclosing demographic data on defendants
    6. Support or oppose publicly disclosing Giglio list

Law Enforcement Accountability

36. Law enforcement should be held legally accountable for misconduct


38. 1. Whether County Prosecutor should be involved in prosecution of criminal misconduct by office’s APA
    2. Whether the Michigan Attorney General’s Office should be involved in prosecution of criminal misconduct by office’s APA
    3. Whether a special prosecutor should be involved in prosecution of criminal misconduct by office’s APA

39. 1. Support for private database for law enforcement misconduct
    2. Support for public database for law enforcement misconduct database
    3. Support for decertification for officers who engaged in felonies or other illegal acts
    4. Support for department penalties for failing to review potential hire’s misconduct history

Trust in sources of information on policing strategies

40. 1. Trust in Other Michigan Prosecutors
    2. Trust in The Michigan Attorney General’s Office
    3. Trust in Michigan law enforcement associations (e.g., MSA, MACP, PAAM, etc.)
    4. National law enforcement associations (e.g., National Police Association, National District Attorneys Association
    5. Non-profits or advocacy organizations (e.g., Center for Policing Equity, ACLU, MADD, etc.)
    6. Trust in universities or academic research
    7. Trust in feedback from residents

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