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Commonwealth Attorney's Drug Prosecution Manual

NCJ Number
136924
Date Published
1991
Length
272 pages
Annotation
This manual, designed for Virginia regional drug prosecutors as well as prosecutors who only occasionally try drug-related cases, grew out of a 4-year experience on the part of the Virginia Commonwealth Attorney's Office with the Multijurisdictional Regional Drug Prosecution Program.
Abstract
Elements which are crucial to the development of a multijurisdictional program include local cooperation, the use of an investigative vehicle through which criminal elements can be targeted for prosecution, and the supervisory oversight performed by the host State's Attorney's Office. The manual includes two model agreements, one for the creation of a multijurisdictional regional drug prosecutor and the other for the creation of a regional task force. Virginia statutory drug prohibitions are discussed, while other chapters cover burdens of proof, search and seizure, arrest, extrajudicial confessions, conspiracy, confidential informants, and immunity doctrines. Other topics dealt with here include the use of the grand jury system in drug investigations, expert testimony in crack cocaine cases, prosecutorial handling of certificates of analysis and use of experts, prosecution of drug cases in Federal court, and asset forfeitures.