Facts and Figures

THE PROSECUTION

• In the Virgin Islands, the Attorney General's Office is the local prosecution, handling all civil and criminal violations of V.I. law.
• The U.S. Attorney's Office handles all violations of federal law.
• Until Jan. 1, 1994, the U.S. Attorney's Office handled all homicide cases and other major felonies. Under what is called "expanded jurisdiction" the territorial and federal governments agreed to let local prosecutors take over those cases.

THE PROSECUTORS

• The Virgin Islands' chief prosecutor is Attorney General Rosalie Simmonds Ballentine. She was appointed to the job by Gov. Alexander A. Farrelly three years ago. She has never personally prosecuted a criminal case in court.

• The Attorney General's Office has more than 30 assistant prosecutors, whose salaries average $35,000 a year. The chief assistant in the criminal division is Elwood York.
• The United States' chief prosecutor in the territory is acting U.S. Attorney Ronald Jennings. He was appointed several months ago by the District Court to replace Terry Halpern, who resigned.

CALL US

Tell us what you think the Virgin Islands needs to do to reduce crime. We have set up a special number for you to call and put your ideas on an answering machine. We will compile readers' suggestions into a story for Thursday in this series' final segment: Solutions.

• The number to call is 777-4744.
• TODAY noon to 8 p.m.
• WEDNESDAY 8 a.m. to noon.