NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk is expanding its Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in what city leaders are calling a historic investment in the local justice system.
Beginning this month, prosecutors will be assigned to every criminal case in Norfolk where a defendant could face jail time, making Norfolk the first—and currently the only—city in Hampton Roads to provide prosecutors for every jailable criminal case.
The change follows a city investment of more than $900,000, allowing the office to hire nine additional prosecutors, bringing the total to 50 attorneys, while also creating a new Director of Diversion position to oversee alternatives to criminal convictions when appropriate.
"Norfolk is going to lead the way in the administration of justice in Hampton Roads," Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi said during Wednesday's announcement. "We will be the first and the only city in Hampton Roads where every victim, every accused, every case where somebody faces jail time, there will be a prosecutor to assist and to make sure that justice is done for all."
Until now, the office handled every felony case but only certain misdemeanor offenses. That meant many misdemeanor cases—including assaults, larcenies, trespassing, destruction of property and many traffic offenses—often moved through the court system without a prosecutor assigned to them.
Fatehi said that gap sometimes led to inconsistent outcomes.
"The end result was people getting convicted of crimes that they didn't commit and people getting acquitted of crimes they did commit on technicalities because no prosecutor was available to help them," he said. "That is why this initiative to add prosecutors to my office and to have those prosecutors available is keyed to fairness."
He pushed back on the idea that adding prosecutors is meant to increase convictions or jail populations.
"I've heard some questions about this initiative. People have asked if this is some sort of goal to add more people to our jails or add more criminal convictions. That's not the case," Fatehi said. "I'm a progressive prosecutor. I remain committed to the goal of making sure that rich people and poor people, Black people and white people, connected and not, get the same brand of justice."
Instead, he said the expansion is intended to improve the quality of justice for everyone involved in the court system.
"It is to make sure that the right people get convicted of their crimes and held appropriately accountable, and that the people who, yes, every day, especially in Hampton Roads, get wrongfully charged, wrongfully accused, don't have to face the possibility of being wrongfully convicted without somebody... getting into the case and saying this cannot happen," Fatehi said.
The investment also establishes a Director of Diversion, a new position aimed at expanding opportunities for first-time and low-level offenders to avoid criminal convictions through treatment, community service or other alternatives when appropriate.
"The goal will be to find paths out of the criminal justice system for people who deserve them," Fatehi said, pointing to first-time offenders, young people and those who make mistakes but can safely avoid a criminal record. The office also plans to connect repeat low-level offenders with mental health, housing and other services when possible.
Norfolk City Councilmember Carlos Clanton said the investment will benefit people across the city.
"It's not just our storefront owners, but also domestic violence situations, or even assault," Clanton said. "Everyone in our city can know that we've taken a step together as leaders to ensure their safety and their well-being."
Fatehi said the expansion has been years in the making, beginning with conversations after he took office and continuing through discussions with City Council over the past year.
"I cannot emphasize that this gets us caught up with most of the rest of Virginia, but at this point it leapfrogs us way ahead of every other city in the Seven Cities," he said. "The matter was a lack of awareness in Norfolk. In the past, we have awareness, and we addressed it."
According to Fatehi, six of the nine new prosecutor positions have already been filled, with the remaining hires expected over the coming months. The office has already begun assigning prosecutors to newly filed misdemeanor cases.
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