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[[File:Cao office building.jpg|thumb| CAO office | Carnahan Courthouse

1114 Market St.

Room 401

St. Louis, MO 63101

Phone Numbers

Telephone: (314) 622-4941

Facsimile: (314) 622-3369

Please send all media requests to media@stlouiscao.org ]]

The City of St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office is the chief prosecutor of state-level crimes in the City of St. Louis. This includes criminal offenses that occur within the city limits. The Circuit Attorney's Office is located in the Carnahan Courthouse in downtown St. Louis.

Office Description
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office reviews over 15,000 cases and prosecutes about 3,000 felonies and 2,000 to 3,000 misdemeanors each year. There are approximately 60 attorneys, 20 investigators, 10 victim services case managers and 30 support staff members employed with the office.

After police make an arrest, the case is sent to the Warrant Office where an assistant circuit attorney will decide whether or not a charge should be issued. If the assistant circuit attorney decides that a charge should be made, then he or she must determine if the crime is a felony or a misdemeanor. Felony cases begin in Division 25 and misdemeanor cases begin in Division 26. While felony crimes are punishable by more than a year in prison, misdemeanor crimes are punishable by no more than a year in jail.

If the crime is a misdemeanor, then the person will plead either guilty or not guilty to the crime that is being charged. Cases in which the defendant pleads guilty will be sent to sentencing; however, a trial will be set if the defendant pleads not guilty. Depending on the results of the trial, the accused person will either be cleared of the charge or be sentenced.

In the case of felony crimes, a judge or a grand jury will determine if there is enough evidence to hold a trial. If the independent party decides that the case should go to trial, then the defendant must formally plead either guilty or not guilty to the crime. Like with misdemeanor crimes, the case will immediately go to sentencing if the person pleads guilty. If the defendant pleads not guilty, then a trial will be held to determine whether the accused person should be sentenced or cleared of the charge.

The role of the Circuit Attorney’s Office in this process is to ensure that the best decision for the citizens of St. Louis is made. When a person is charged with a crime, the Circuit Attorney’s Office represents the City of St. Louis and then makes a suggestion on how the court should proceed with sentencing. The role of the office is to ensure that individuals who commit crimes are held responsible for their actions so that the citizens of St. Louis can live in a safe environment that respects their rights.

A breakdown of sentencing can be found below:

Felonies:

†Missouri Department of Corrections

†Medium Security Institution

Mission Statement & Core Values
Mission Statement

To pursue justice for all citizens within the highest standards of ethical behavior and professionalism.

Core Values

Integrity, Courage, Compassion, Respect, Agility, Professionalism, and Teamwork

Units & Bureaus
There are 10 teams within the City of St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office. Each unit is comprised of a unique set of individuals who are dedicated to pursuing justice under the state laws of Missouri.



Armed Offender Unit

 * The Armed Offender Unit was launched in 2015 with the hope of curbing the alarming amount of gun violence in the City of St. Louis. The unit contains 14 attorneys who handle all gun-related crimes. Such crimes range from unlawful use of a weapon to first degree murder. They work hard to ensure that people who use guns illegally are held accountable for their actions. A key goal of this unit is to provide peace and closure to victims of gun-related crimes. Attorneys pair with homicide detectives from the police department so that they can gather the strongest evidence to prosecute crimes and foster relationships with victims and witnesses. They are on-call 24/7 to respond to homicide scenes.

Child Support Unit

 * This unit is charged with the task of enforcing the state laws that protect the long-term stability and welfare of children. The Child Support Unit is comprised of eight attorneys, ten investigators and five support members. They manage approximately 150 new cases per month. The Child Support Unit has about 1,000 establishment and 3,000 enforcement cases pending. While establishment cases determine paternity and financial responsibility, enforcement cases ensure that financially delinquent parents are held accountable.

Community Partnerships Bureau

 * The Community Partnerships Bureau is passionate about its mission to provide citizens with a voice in the criminal justice system. It believes that every neighborhood in the City of St. Louis can prevent and reduce crime by holding criminals accountable for their actions. This unit has one career prosecutor and three support staff members that are dedicated to building a strong partnership among the community, police officers and prosecutors.

Crime Strategies Unit

 * This unit was created in 2015 as part of the CAO’s initiative to reduce gun violence in the City of St. Louis. The goal of the Crime Strategies Unit is to gather, analyze and share information among law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and the community. The unit is comprised of three attorneys, one crime analyst and one investigator. Their mission is to identify crime trends and crime-driving groups in the community so that the city can hold individuals accountable for violating Missouri law.

Felony Trial Unit

 * Eight attorneys make up the Felony Trial Unit. They handle cases of all levels that are not gun-related and do not fall under the Special Victims Unit or the White Collar Unit. This unit prides itself on having attorneys that have both extensive trial experience and a desire for justice. One of their primary goals is to give peace to victims of crimes and closure to their family members.

Misdemeanor Unit

 * The five attorneys in the Misdemeanor Unit handle up to 10,000 misdemeanor cases each year. Their job is to prosecute cases that have been classified as misdemeanors, or state-level offenses. Such crimes are punishable by a fine and no more than one year in jail. Offenders of misdemeanor crimes cannot be sent to prisons, like the Missouri Department of Corrections (MDC), as they are reserved for individuals who have committed felony crimes.

Special Victims Unit

 * Members of the Special Victims Unit are responsible for cases involving crimes of a sexual nature, physical abuse or endangerment of a child and domestic violence between intimate partners or family members. This can include anything from Violations of Orders of Protection to homicides related to any of the above crimes. Attorneys in this unit work closely with the police department’s Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) and other agencies to ensure the prosecution of such crimes. There is also an attorney who is on-call 24/7 and available to reach the police department.

Victims Services Unit (VSU)

 * The Victim Services Unit strives to aid victims, witnesses and their families in the process of overcoming the detrimental effects of crime. The VSU is comprised of seven Advocate Caseworkers, one Licensed Professional Counselor and one Volunteer Coordinator who supervises ten interns who serve as caseworkers. Together these staff members help victims understand their rights and provide them with information, counseling services and additional support throughout the criminal justice process.

Warrant Office

 * The Warrant Office is the first step in the process of prosecution. It is known as the “entry port” for the prosecution of criminal cases. Police officers bring witnesses, victims, police reports and charging documents to the Warrant Office. The Warrant Office issues 4,000 felony cases and between 3,000 and 7,000 misdemeanor cases annually. There are at least three prosecutors working on this team throughout the week, and there is always a prosecutor who is available on evenings and weekends via a beeper.

White Collar Crime and Fraud

 * The White Collar and Fraud Unit aims to hold criminals responsible for their crimes even if they do not include violence. Its prosecutors have a caseload that includes fraud, identity theft, tax evasion and bad checks. This unit prides itself on identifying and prosecuting bad check writers at no cost to the victimized person. The White Collar and Fraud Unit also represents the Circuit Attorney’s Office in civil litigation matters and it provides defense for State Office holders.

The Circuit Attorney
All Circuit Attorneys are elected by voters in St. Louis city. The job of the Circuit Attorney is to administer the prosecution of all felony and misdemeanor cases in the City of St. Louis.

Jennifer M. Joyce
As a life-long resident of the City of St. Louis, Jennifer M. Joyce’s desire to serve her community was inspired by her parents’ work as distinguished members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Jennifer fundamentally believes that by engaging citizens in supporting a safe and vital community, that we are more powerful together than any one of us can be alone.

Jennifer joined the Circuit Attorney’s Office as an Assistant Circuit Attorney in 1994 because of her sincere desire to be an active member in the thriving community she loves. By the time she was elected as Circuit Attorney in 2000, she had handled more than 700 felony cases including: rape, child abuse, assault, armed robbery, car theft, drug trafficking and weapons offenses.

...

Jennifer attended Bishop DuBourg High School in south St. Louis. After graduating from St. Louis University of Law in 1987, she joined a private firm known today as Husch Blackwell. Joyce is on the Board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Backstoppers, St. Louis Regional Crime Commission and the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. She is a member of the National District Attorneys Association, the Missouri Bar Association (served on the Board of Governors), the Illinois Bar Association, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Women Lawyer’s Association of Greater St. Louis and the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (served as President).

~City of St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office

St. Louis Gun Crime
As Circuit Attorney, Jennifer M. Joyce has made it her goal to curb the staggering amount of gun violence in the City of St. Louis. Her efforts include the reorganization of the Circuit Attorney’s Office to include the Crime Strategies unit, which aims to ultimately reduce the level of gun crime in St. Louis. Members of this team conduct extensive research on crime trends and possible instances of gun violence. In 2015, Joyce also created the Armed Offender unit, which is specifically dedicated to the prosecution of gun-related crimes. Attorneys in this unit visit homicide sites so that they can build a strong relationship with victims and witnesses. Joyce believes that the community is one of the strongest tools that her office can use to fight crime.

The St. Louis Gun Crime website was also launched with the goal of reducing the high rate of gun violence in the City of St. Louis. It includes interviews, videos and stories that feature victims, family members and offenders of gun crimes. The purpose of the Gun Crime website is to show the effects of gun violence at all levels. The website is full of statistics and news articles that prove just how much gun violence has impacted the City of St. Louis. Jennifer Joyce hopes that the website and the CAO's new strategy will encourage people to become more involved with the issue of gun violence. Under her leadership, the Circuit Attorney's Office has taken more steps than ever to encourage St. Louis citizens to play an active role in protecting their neighborhoods from gun crime.

How to Help
10 Ways You Can Combat Gun Violence
 * 1) Secure your legal weapon and encourage others to do the same.
 * 2) Discourage people from carrying illegal weapons.
 * 3) Record the make, model, serial number and other important information about your gun so it can be tracked if stolen.
 * 4) Call police every time you hear gunshots.
 * 5) Tell police everything you know if you witness a crime.
 * 6) Volunteer or donate to an organization working to improve the lives of youth in St. Louis.
 * 7) Help a struggling parent.
 * 8) Hire or mentor a young person.
 * 9) Clean up your neighborhood. Participate in the Neighborhood Ownership Model.
 * 10) Get to know your neighbors and look out for each other.

The DNA Justice Project
The Circuit Attorney’s Office started the DNA Justice Project to pursue justice by using DNA technology to test evidence in prior cases that resulted in convictions before DNA testing was available. The project was inspired by The Innocence Project through which Jennifer Joyce has been recognized for her cooperation and open approach to making sure that the guilty are convicted for their crimes while the innocent remain free. Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld founded The Innocence Project in 1992 with the goal of using DNA testing to prove the innocence of wrongfully convicted prisoners.