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About Kirsten Pabst’s Award-Winning Programs

Kirsten-Pabst

As Missoula County Attorney, Kirsten Pabst has demonstrated her dedication to the people of Montana and this vibrant region. With her commitment to justice and safety, Pabst has been named Criminal Justice Professional of the Year and received two national achievement awards for her work. Part of this work has been developing several award-winning programs. These impressive initiatives demonstrate Pabst’s values while making Missoula a better place to live, encouraging her to run for re-election.
 

Trauma Program

In collaboration with clinical social worker Andrew Laue, LCSW, Pabst created a secondary trauma program for prosecutors. This program helps prosecution staff understand the impact of human trauma. It also helped increase employee resilience and longevity in their position. Following the implementation of this first of its kind program, Pabst and Laue received recognition from the National Association of Counties.
 

Model Special Victims Unit

One of Pabst’s most significant achievements is the county’s Special Victims Unit. What began as a single-person operation, grew under Pabst’s leadership. It now involved four attorneys, a supervisor, an investigator, paralegal, and victim witness coordinator. The Attorney General’s Office has since used Missoula county’s unit as a model for other county prosecution teams.
 

Criminal Mediation Program

An average of 3,641 crimes occur in Missoula each year, representing various levels of severity. Pabst understands the need to provide a wide range of legal services in the justice system. For perpetrators of no non-violent crimes, Pabst developed Montana’s first criminal mediation program. This eliminates the need for a costly criminal trial in some cases. Rather, the criminal and a legal team go through the mediation process to reach conviction and settlement.
 

Kirsten Pabst would be proud to win re-election and serve Missoula county for another term. With programs like these in the works, there is only room to innovate and grow more through even better efforts. Pabst has the qualities and drive necessary to take crime seriously and keep Missoula a safe place to live for individuals and families.
 

To learn more about these programs and other forms of recognition, you can read more here. Kirsten Pabst hopes that she has your support in the year ahead, as it can be the best yet.