Data Collecting Methodology

As you dive into U.S. prosecutor data, you begin to realize how hard it is to navigate even the simplest line of inquiry. For instance: "When are the next national prosecutor elections?" becomes a strange mathematical game filled with double-checking sources against each other.

To combat this, contributors have invented their own methods for collecting data. Please feel free to share your strategy with the rest of the group during our weekly CLASP Datathon meetings (everyone's invited!).

Finding Prosecutor Election Data

1. View the "States That Elect Their Chief Prosecutors" (2003) data: CLASP Spreadsheet (first sheet), Website

According to a report published in the May 2002 U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 47 states elect their chief prosecutors and three (Alaska, Connecticut, and New Jersey) appoint them. The report is based on a review of state statutes, a 2001 national Directory of Prosecuting Attorneys, and state prosecutor coordinator's offices.

2. Optional: double-check redistricting of judicial jurisdiction in each state

3. Remember: District Attorney terms vary between states

4. To get the names of District Attorneys, look for the state's District Attorney Association

Example: Google "Delaware District Attorney Association"

5. If there is no District Attorney association, look for the state's election results

• Find out how long the District Attorney terms are
• Look up what date they were elected

Keep in mind it is easier to find election results, rather than upcoming elections (take Louisiana, for example: the State Election Office (Secretary of State that manages election results))

6. County Elections