The National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) is the largest and primary professional association of prosecuting attorneys in the United States. Formed in 1950 as the ?National Association of County and Prosecuting Attorneys? and given its present name in 1959, NDAA is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. The association presently has more than 7,000 members, including most of the nation?s local prosecutors, plus assistant prosecutors, investigators, victim witness advocates and paralegals.

In carrying out its mission??To be the voice of America?s prosecutors and to support their efforts to protect the rights and safety of the people,??NDAA provides professional guidance and support to its members, serves as a resource and education center, follows public policy issues involving criminal justice and law enforcement, and produces a number of publications including The Prosecutor bi-monthly magazine, Trial Techniques and Predicate Questions and the National Prosecution Standards. NDAA?s government affairs office tracks legislative and regulatory criminal justice issues in Congress and the administration and provides information on these and related issues to prosecutors.

In 1984, the National District Attorneys Association founded the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) as a non-profit research and program development resource for prosecutors. APRI is committed to providing interdisciplinary responses to the complex problems of criminal justice. It also is committed to supporting the highest professional standards among officials entrusted with the awesome responsibility for public safety. Today?s prosecutors are expected to have a sophisticated understanding of social violence, medical and scientific advances, media relations and community development. The institute has assembled programs and staff who meet these demands.

In the spring of 1998, the National Advocacy Center (NAC), a facility operated jointly by NDAA and the U.S. Department of Justice?s Executive Office of the U.S. Attorneys, commenced operations at a $23 million complex constructed on the campus of the University of South Carolina at Columbia, SC. NDAA provides free training for local prosecutors in this facility. As the education division of NDAA, the National College of District Attorneys (NCDA) conducts trial advocacy programs at the National Advocacy Center. APRI also conducts training sessions at the center. Regional training continues to be presented around the country by NCDA and APRI.

Members of NDAA?s Board of Directors represent every state in the nation. The board meets three times a year, usually in March, at the annual conference in July, and in November. These meetings are open to all members of NDAA. The executive director of the organization is Thomas J. Charron, a former president of NDAA and former district attorney of the Cobb Judicial District (Marietta), GA. Mr. Charron is also president of APRI.

Additional Contact
Tom Charron
Executive Director
Contact Phone: 703-519-1650
tom.charron@ndaa-apri.org