From: MPD-5D@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MPD-5D@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Hodge, Jamila (USADC)
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 5:51 PM
To: mpd-5d@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MPD-5D] US Attorney’s Office on Community Impact Statements
Hi Everyone,
My name is Jami Hodge and I am an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. I serve as the Community Prosecutor for 5D. I just want to briefly weigh in on the discussion.
First, the Community Impact Statement form is just a guide. Many statements are submitted in the form of emails or letters. If you want the statement to be anonymous, please do not disclose your name in the content of the statement. The statements are provided to the judge, assigned prosecutor, and defense counsel (as are all materials relevant to sentencing). We usually provide the copies by faxing or emailing them as Adobe/pdf attachments, prior to sentencing. I do not forward original emails directly.
Also, with respect to how “community” is defined, we do not limit the meaning to geographical boundaries. We frequently get statements from the LGBT and other communities. We encourage the statements to be written even when the bias charge may not be part of the charges for which the defendant is sentenced. For example, there may be a situation where the defendant pled guilty to a charge in exchange for us dropping the bias enhancement. We would certainly want statements from the relevant community, even though the bias enhancement was dropped as part of the plea agreement.
The easiest way to have your statement submitted is to send them to me. My email address is jamila.hodge(at)usdoj.gov <mailto:jamila.hodge@usdoj.gov>. I will make sure the statement gets to the relevant parties and ensure that the identities are protected for those who want to submit anonymously. I am attaching to this message a copy of the form to use as a guide. I will be at the Court Watch meeting on June 21st at 5D to discuss this further and address any questions.
I strongly encourage citizens to participate in writing the statements. It helps for the judges to hear from the community as they make their sentencing decisions. We are looking for ways to encourage wider participation in getting the statements, including possibly posting some of the cases set for sentencing on the listserv to request impact statements. Stay tuned for more information and thank you all for your interest in keeping our communities safer.
Best,
Jami
Jamila Hodge
Assistant United States Attorney
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
(202) 252-6986
Bates Area Civic Association 