After Little Rock’s Deadliest Year, a Prosecutor Charts a New Path

Smart Justice

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21d ago 19:07

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Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones started his role in 2023 following the deadliest year for homicides in Little Rock's history. He says it was time to find a different approach to fighting crime—one that would require him to think outside of the traditional prosecutor role.

In this interview with Jones, we discuss crime trends, community trust, and a new path forward through Group Violence Intervention (GVI), an evidence-based approach he believes could be transformative for Pulaski County.

According to Jones, violent crime in Pulaski County is trending downward now. He says homicide numbers are down 44% countywide and nearly 50% in Little Rock compared to 2022.

But he is quick to note that success isn’t measured by statistics alone. “It’s still a very troubling number. We’re not going to stop until we get that number to zero.”

He says we have to remember one key insight: most violent crime is committed by a small number of individuals. “It’s a very small number that is responsible for 90% of the violent crime,” he says. “If we can figure out a way to target that group—or help that group—then I think we’ll see a significant reduction in violent crime.”

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Chapters

1. Introducing Prosecutor Will Jones (00:00:00)

2. Crime Trends in Pulaski County (00:01:39)

3. Small Group Driving Most Violence (00:04:08)

4. Prosecutor's Role in Crime Reduction (00:06:45)

5. Group Violence Intervention Strategy Benefits (00:08:39)

6. Building Trust Between Communities and Law Enforcement (00:12:45)

7. Message to Pulaski County Residents (00:16:01)

34 episodes

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