Episode seven of The Right On Crime Podcast features Prosecutorial Innovation in America and Matt Harvey, Jefferson County West Virginia Prosecuting Attorney. Matt joins Right On Crime Director Kurt Altman to discuss how innovative prosecutors separate themselves from prosecutors who dominate headlines for eroding the Rule of Law.
In this episode, Harvey discusses his “Three I’s of Harm,” which includes Immediate, Intermediate, and Indefinite harm: “The immediate harm is you’re ignoring a class of crimes and you’re ignoring a victim of a crime by not prosecuting those crimes. The intermediate is you’re taking away potential services to the defendant by not prosecuting that crime,” says Harvey. “The prosecutor’s office is such a touch point. You’re missing a valuable chance to divert that person into the proper services with leverage that their family and lawyer don’t have. The indefinite harm is that the Rule of Law would crumble.”
Altman and Harvey agree that prosecutors serve their communities to enforce the laws, and they all swear an oath to abide by the Constitution. Harvey says that prosecutors who don’t uphold their oath violate the separation of powers and erode the fundamental foundation of our government.
“The golden opportunity is to get someone early in the process and direct them to resources, so they don’t come back,” says Harvey. “That’s the ultimate goal of the criminal justice system- is to protect society, number one, and then rehabilitate people enough that they’re not going to commit further crime.”
The Right On Crime Podcast features conversations, policy, and best practices on conservative criminal justice innovation in America.
Prosecutorial Innovation in America promotes the successes of prosecutors who dare to think outside the box. We seek to connect these trailblazers to help spread their innovative ideas on a nationwide scale. We support common-sense and data-driven innovations to reduce crime and recidivism while never compromising public safety.