John Tyson, Jr. Helps Send Child Molesters To Prison By:

Sharing the tools that resulted in thousands of convictions for crimes against children with local law enforcement across the state (from Mobile County District Attorney's Office).

What John Is Doing NOW:

John's FOR ALL OF US campaign makes specialized investigation and specialized prosecution techniques that are achieving convictions for crimes against children available to all local law enforcement.

Vertical Prosecution -- In a standard criminal case, several different attorneys may be involved at different stages of the judicial process. In using vertical prosecution of child abuse and molestation cases, a commitment is made to assign one lawyer to the case for its duration -- beginning with the investigation, through the trial and the post-trial phase. The invaluable continuity this provides is one factor that has improved the Mobile County conviction rate against child abuse to 95% -- well above the national average. (from Mobile County District Attorney’s Office)

Counseling For Child Victims -- Counseling without fee is available for all child victims through local Child Advocacy Centers (a multiagency program to serve child victims which originated in Huntsville, AL) . Children who have had sessions with counselors are better able to talk about the trauma -- they more clearly understand that what happened is not their fault and that it is important to tell adults they trust what happened. (from Mobile County District Attorney's Office)

Working With Child Victims -- Children who have been traumatized by abuse or molestation need extra support when faced with the prospect of testifying in court. Special orientations for children are conducted by Victim Services Officers to help children become familiar with the courtroom, explain the process to them, and more. These techniques help the child to be less distracted when in the actual courtroom setting. (from Mobile County District Attorney’s Office)

Gaining The Confidence Of Parents -- Knowing that their child is being treated with care and respect; knowing that a high conviction rate means offenders will receive justice---these are the best ways to assure parents that the judicial system is working. Keeping them informed of the progress of the case and explaining each step as it approaches helps parents feel that they are participants in the process. (from the Mobile County District Attorney's Office).

Click here for information on helping parents identify child molestors.

For more information, contact Steve Giardini at the Mobile County District Attorney's Office: 251-574-8400.

What John Will Do As ATTORNEY GENERAL:

John will continue to research the most effective practices of investigators, prosecutors and victim service specialists and share them with local law enforcement throughout the state.

John will advocate full funding for Child Advocacy Centers across the state.