Deputy Navajo County Attorney Devon Hall was presented with the 2023 APAAC Juvenile Prosecutor of the Year Award during the Arizona Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory Council’s annual award ceremony on June 29. The award recognizes the extraordinary achievement of an Arizona juvenile prosecutor on a specific case, or for a series of outstanding prosecutorial accomplishments that demonstrate the prosecutor’s exceptional advocacy. Hall was honored for his deft handling of juvenile cases that resulted in teens being tried as adults in Navajo County Superior Court. Hall is skilled at pursuing prosecution of these difficult cases with consideration of the complexities involved with prosecuting young offenders, and often in the face of intense public pressure. With juvenile cases, many factors must be considered in the pursuit of justice, including the age of the offender, their criminal history or lack thereof, and the severity of the crime committed. Careful consideration must be taken when determining charges and advising sentencing to balance consequences that are appropriate to the crime and achieve justice for the victim with mindfulness toward the concern of whether the terms of prosecution may put young offenders on a path toward rehabilitation and successful re-entry to community, or extended prison terms and likely recidivism. Hall works closely with victims and their families throughout the judicial process, using his astute communication skills and legal knowledge to convey the special considerations of juvenile prosecution effectively and compassionately. Together, Hall, victims and their families arrive at a prosecutorial strategy, agreeing defendants should suffer serious consequences for their conduct, but not so severe as to ruin their lives. “Juvenile cases require special judgment because they involve youth entering the justice system at a very young age, when they still have their whole lives ahead of them. Devon demonstrates juvenile prosecutorial expertise, courage under fire and a commitment to securing justice for victims. It’s his ability to strike this fine balance, along with his excellence in every facet of his prosecutorial role, that makes him deserving of this honor,” said Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon. “I am very proud of the work Devon accomplishes on behalf of our office and the people of Navajo County.” “It’s an honor to serve both the county and state I grew up in. Personally, I think the whole Navajo County Attorney’s Office deserves this award. I couldn’t ask for better co-workers and support staff. As a prosecutor, my hope is the community can feel safe. And I hope that those juveniles and defendants we work with will someday be thankful that the State of Arizona held them responsible for their actions so they could make changes to better their lives,” said Hall. Hall earned his law degree from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. He has worked at the Navajo County Attorney’s Office since 2018.
