When Philadelphia voters elected Larry Krasner as its District Attorney in 2017, he promised to end the failed tough-on-crime policies of the past, work to support victims and the community, and hold the powerful accountable. He has kept his promises.
It hasn’t been easy. Larry inherited an office committed to incarceration regardless of the cost, even when this policy endangered and devastated our communities.
But in just three years, he has upended the office culture and implemented policies that put people first. Under Larry’s leadership:
The county jail population has decreased by 40% and this summer fell to its lowest level since 1985.
The amount of time people will spend in prison has dropped by over 18,000 years.
Years under probation or parole have decreased by 57% overall, 65% for drug offenses and 70% for property offenses in the most oversupervised big city, Philly, and the second most oversupervised state, Pennsylvania.
Larry treats kids like kids and recognizes they can grow and change:
The office has helped reduce out-of-home placement of children by over 80%.
In 2019, 98% of all juvenile arrests were handled in juvenile court.
The office has vastly expanded juvenile diversion programs to felony cases, and has implemented a restorative justice program for children that allow the child and victim to heal without the use of incarceration.
The office has also obtained funding to help kids who lack resources to pay off restitution.
He has exonerated the innocent:
The office has exonerated an astounding 18 individuals in just three years.
He has held police accountable:
The office has developed a database of police misconduct and refuses to rely on officers who are not credible or turn the other way when they discriminate, abuse their power, and make openly racist, sexist, and xenophobic statements. Police misconduct in the database is provided to the defense as required by law.
The office has fearlessly charged and is prosecuting police officers for abusing their power, including a Chief Inspector for sexual abuse against women officers, two on-duty officers for the killings of men who were unarmed when they were shot, and police personnel who have assaulted peaceful protesters.
He has protected the undocumented:
Under Larry’s watch, the office broke its information-sharing contract with ICE.
The office also formed a new unit that considers immigration consequences in charging and sentencing decisions to mitigate the likelihood of deportation for non-serious offenses.
He has taken a public health approach to drug use:
The office has stopped prosecuting nearly all simple drug possession cases. Marijuana possession cases are not charged. Other drug possession cases are diverted toward treatment.
He has expanded diversionary opportunities for some other drug crimes to help address the root causes of the activity, instead of imposing ineffective punishments.
Larry has supported the opening of a harm reduction center, a supervised injection site where overdoses are prevented and treatment is made available.
And he has sued Big Pharma on behalf of the people of Philadelphia for its role in the opioid epidemic, and to make sure Philly gets its fair share from the harm inflicted on Philly by Big Pharma.
He has worked to end extreme sentences:
He has not sought the use of the death penalty to date.
He has resentenced nearly all of those who received juvenile life without parole sentences, far more quickly than in other jurisdictions.
The office regularly supports requests for commutations and pardons in appropriate cases.
He has demanded that the office consider and be prepared to argue the total cost of each year of prison imposed before requesting an incarcerative sentence in money, in family separation, in job loss and in other ways.
He has increased support for victims and impacted communities:
The office launched the CARES program, which provides intensive support for 45 days after the homicide of a family member. These services are in addition to the victims’ services normally provided, where victims are connected to crisis responders and other community supports.
It likewise expanded its support systems for all victims to make sure they understand the criminal process and are connected to trauma resources if they need them. The office has improved its documentation and accountability for communicating with victims and survivors.
The office is investing civil asset forfeiture money in prevention of future victimization in neighborhoods impacted by gun violence.
He has shifted resources to solving serious crimes:
In the first quarter of 2020, before courts shut down, a greater share of homicide cases have ended in convictions than in any year since 2014.
Convictions in shooting cases were likewise at their highest point in years.
Larry is actively working with city partners, non-profits, and doctors to explore public health solutions to gun violence, and to help the police increase its solve-rate for shooting crimes, as it currently hovers at 20%.
Larry has been a constant and loud advocate for new, cutting edge forensic tools (including new DNA capacity and new phone technology) to solve crimes quickly and accurately. His advocacy, if heeded, has the potential to significantly reduce shootings and homicides by solving crimes early in ways that prevent cycles of retaliatory violence.