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