Thread by @reveal

1/ For the past few years, @Starecheski has been digging into the tremendous power of prosecutors in America.

A thread on one prosecutor who is dialing his power back ... revealnews.org/episodes/10-ye…

2/ Last year, Philadelphia elected a new District Attorney: Larry Krasner.

Krasner did not campaign on a vow to convict more criminals, or win more cases. He vowed to lock up *fewer* people. whyy.org/segments/krasn…

3/ Krasner had never prosecuted a case in his life before he was elected.

He’s a civil rights attorney. He’s defended activists from ACT UP and #BlackLivesMatter. He’s sued the Philly police department dozens of times.

4/ And Krasner believes that prosecutors have helped create an “insane money fire of mass incarceration” in his city.

5/ For decades, Philly has disproportionately jailed African-American people. @verainstitute has tracked the numbers since 1990:

6/ Krasner says he wanted his office, @philadao, to stop prosecuting people who are homeless, or who struggle with addiction, or who need mental health care.

7/ So, he began by firing a bunch of old-guard prosecutors. Philly’s ABC News channel covered what they called “the purge.” 6abc.com/politics/dozen…

8/ In a policy memo, Krasner told his assistant DAs that when requesting a sentence in court, they would have to announce the cost to taxpayers of the time in prison to the whole courtroom.

9/ On top of that, Krasner decided to stop charging certain crimes:

* Weed possession?
* Most prostitution cases?
* Shoplifting under $500?

No jail time, just a ticket.

10/ Yes, he can do this.

Prosecutors do take an oath to uphold the law, but they’re free to enforce some statutes and totally ignore others. They can decide if a person should get a serious charge or a light charge. This is part of what’s called “prosecutorial discretion.”

11/ Legal scholar @angelajdavis has noted that these decisions are a huge factor in racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

12/ "The role that prosecutors play in the equation is unique because of their extraordinary power and discretion," she writes. "The impact of their discretion, power, and decision-making cannot be overstated."

13/ To people inside Krasner’s office, the new charging policy didn’t seem like that big of a deal.

14/ But a lot of people freaked out. Richard Sax was a prosecutor in Philly for more than 30 years. He retired before Krasner took office.

15/ Shootings in Philly are up this year compared to last year. Murders are up too, according to stats from the Philly police department. Though it’s not clear what Krasner’s role in those jumps might be.

16/ So what about the people Krasner is trying to help by keeping them of jail?

@Starecheski talked to a woman named Chantel. She’s struggled with heroin addiction for years. She’s done sex work and has shoplifted to pay for drugs. She’s been arrested multiple times.

17/ Chantel is not saying jail is the answer. She said she hated going to jail and it never stopped her from using, doing sex work or shoplifting again once she got out.

18/ But the idea of Krasner *not* prosecuting crimes made Chantel feel like the city was giving up on her. Because getting arrested and charged can sometimes provide a path to rehab and counseling. A few other women who do sex work said the same thing.

19/ @Starecheski asked Krasner’s office about this. They sent a statement that read, in part:

20/ In other words: Yes, prosecutors can sometimes help people who’ve been arrested. But Krasner would still rather they not be arrested or charged at all.

21/ For more stories like this, please subscribe to our newsletter. revealnews.org/newsletter