Jennifer M. Joyce has made a career out of ensuring that the Circuit Attorney's Office is committed to pursuing justice above all else. For more than 14 years, Joyce has utilized her legal expertise and extensive courtroom experience to personally prosecute more than 700 felony cases in virtually every criminal area including rape, child abuse, assault, armed robbery, car theft, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses. Joyce was also a member of the team that prosecuted the notorious Southside Rapist case and put him behind bars for five consecutive life sentences.
Since taking office in 2001 Joyce has kept her campaign pledge of implementing a detailed plan to make St. Louis a safer city to live, work and play. Joyce and her team have partnered with legislators in Jefferson City and Washington to ensure St. Louis gets its fair share of crime-fighting dollars. Because of these efforts, she has obtained funding for over 10 new criminal justice and prosecution programs. Joyce has secured funding for critical public safety and educational programs. Joyce has strictly enforced victim restitution laws to make certain victims are treated with respect and dignity by the criminal justice system. And, through the "Inspire Me to be …" Program, Joyce made a priority of helping our schools provide children important skill sets. Joyce is committed to leading the office in a manner that is open and transparent to the public. She meets regularly with citizens, city officials, community advocates, neighborhood associations and all those interested in a legal system that protects the rights of all and holds people fully accountable under the laws of the State of Missouri. She believes that by engaging citizens in supporting a safe and vital community, we are all more powerful together than any one of us can be alone. She has established a Community Affairs Bureau staffed with top prosecutors to ensure the needs of the community are met and to address specific neighborhood crime concerns.
As the leader of one of the largest public attorney's offices in the State, Joyce has been featured in many regional publications including St. Louis Women’s Magazine, and in St. Louis Business Journal's "40 under 40," which profiles young regional leaders to watch for their positive impact on the community. This strong leadership has translated into direct action for the good of the public. Crime in the City is down, due in large part to the strategic collaboration among Joyce, the Mayor, the Police Chief and other local and federal law enforcement and government officials. Joyce moved the office to the legal forefront in the areas of community partnering, domestic violence, juvenile crime, hate crimes, gang and gun violence. Joyce is committed to ensuring repeat offenders are prosecuted to the full extent of the law and has introduced a new level of concern for the prevention of crimes and care for the victims of crime. In 2007, Joyce launched a Career Criminal Unit to ensure that the worst repeat offenders and career criminals are being prosecuted by some of the most experienced career prosecutors. Joyce is serious about sending a clear message to those people who choose to break the law and hurt innocent people. Under Joyce's leadership, more criminal offenders are being prosecuted than ever before. The philosophy behind this approach is simple: Statistics prove that offenders of petty crimes graduate from small offenses to more grave offenses unless they are stopped by a justice system that takes an aggressive stand on crime. In addition, Joyce believes that her office should support the efforts of the men and women of the police force who risk their lives to bring offenders to justice - so she and her team are dedicated to doing just that. Gang members, repeat offenders, drug dealers, sexual predators and other violent criminals, take warning. If you break the law, you will be held accountable for your actions. Period.
In Joyce's pursuit of justice, her office has launched an initiative designed to ensure that all resources currently available are utilized so that no one is wrongly convicted of a crime. Through the DNA Justice Project, the Circuit Attorney's Office actively reviewed more than 1,400 cases where DNA testing can make the difference in whether justice was served. Over the past three years, her office has identified cases in which DNA testing was not available at the time of conviction and may provide significant information about the case. The DNA Justice Project has exonerated some people and has also confirmed guilt in several cases. Joyce has also been a legislative leader in pursuing financial resources for people who have been wrongly convicted of a crime and who have spent time in prison.
In addition to Joyce's success as a law enforcement leader, her record in the Circuit Attorney's Office is a continuation of her family's dedication to public service. A life-long resident of St. Louis City, Joyce grew up in the Southside Lindenwood Park neighborhood. Joyce's love for community service was fueled by both her parents' distinguished careers with the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Joyce has demonstrated her commitment to her profession and community in numerous ways over the years. Joyce is knowledgeable about police work, criminal investigations, forensic science and the use of DNA evidence in criminal prosecutions. She speaks at hundreds of community meetings and events each year to ensure that citizens have open access to her and her office at all times.
Joyce is on the Board of Backstoppers, which is an organization dedicated to helping the families of fallen officers and firefighters. She has served as an adult mentor for kindergarten children through the Mentor St. Louis Program. Joyce actively participated in FOCUS St. Louis' Bridges Across Racial Polarization Program, which enabled her to expand her personal education and passion for racial justice. She is also a member of St. Stephen Protomartyr Catholic Church.
Joyce is also very active and a leader in the legal community as a member of the National District Attorneys Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Women Lawyer's Association of Greater St. Louis and the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. She also serves on the Board of Governors for the Missouri Bar Association. In 2008, she served as President of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
Prior to her work at the Circuit Attorney's Office, Joyce practiced law at Peper, Martin, Jensen, Maichel and Hetlage. There she handled complex litigation, including an extensive white-collar criminal investigation on behalf of the federal government. Joyce also taught Criminal Justice courses to law enforcement students as an Adjunct Professor at St. Louis Community College. After graduating with top honors from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Joyce attended Saint Louis University School of Law, and graduated near the top of her class.
Joyce is married and loves to bike, hike, ballroom dance and read.