The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, a private nonprofit serving prosecutors as well as their law enforcement and community partners, developed a series of webinars as part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Capital Litigation Initiative, which seek to improve prosecutors’ approach to capital litigation. You can now watch the first two installments in the series—"The Surviving Victims: Guiding the Families of Homicide Victims Through the Criminal Justice Process” and “Mitigating Mental Health Defenses”—on BJA’s YouTube channel.
Webinar Descriptions
This webinar focuses on how to be the best advocate possible for victims of capital crimes and their families—with an emphasis on building effective, empathetic relationships with these families and guiding them through the judicial process. This presentation includes resources for prosecutors dealing with similar capital litigation cases.
“Mitigating Mental Health Defenses”
This webinar explores various mental health defenses in capital cases and how prosecutors can effectively counter them. A career prosecutor who has been on the front lines of many high-profile cases, First Assistant Ed McCann of the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Office provides insights and practical tools to take straight into trial.
Other Installments in the Series
The third installment in the Capital Litigation Initiative series, “Mass Shootings and Victim Considerations” took place December 4 and will be available for viewing on BJA’s YouTube channel in the coming weeks. In addition, the fourth and final webinar, “Victim Counsel Coordination,” will take place on January 10, 2020. Visit the registration webpage for more information on this webinar and instructions on how to register.