Progressive, reform-minded prosecutors have taken the reins in top local prosecutor roles across the country that have allowed them to begin to change the criminal justice system from the inside out.
These left-leaning Democratic district attorneys have sought reforms to the bail system, curbed enforcement of lower-level marijuana offenses, increased the use of diversion programs over jail time and pledged to end mass incarceration. They have also tried changing the culture in their offices, adjusting their prosecutorial priorities to upend a system they believe has contributed to the rise in prison populations.
Rachael Rollins was elected district attorney in Suffolk County, Massachusetts,...
"Change never happens when people are comfortable," she told NBC News. "We're going to be thinking creatively about solutions." In her campaign, Rollins pledged to zero in on violent crime while effectively decriminalizing a host of nonviolent offenses, including shoplifting, larceny under $250 and drug possession with intent to distribute.
None of the prosecutors have faced as much pushback as hard-charging Philadelphia County District Attorney Larry Krasner, whose 2017 election was a watershed moment for the criminal justice reform movement.
He has instructed his team to
avoid prosecutions "where appropriate" to lower the incarcerated population, opting instead for a more liberal use of
diversion programs. At the start of his term,
he fired 31 prosecutors in the district attorney's office for their unwillingness to implement his changes and
put 29 Philadelphia police officers on a "do-not-call list" — meaning they could not be considered credible witnesses at trials.
"I think people conflate the fact that I want to be smart on crime when it comes to nonviolent, nonserious crimes, with the fact that somehow I'm not going to be hyper-focused on victims and keeping our community safe," she said. "I am very thoughtful about what we're doing at our municipal and district courts, but incredibly focused on getting accountability for victims of violent and serious crimes — overwhelmingly that are in poor communities and communities of color in Suffolk County."
She pointed to a decrease in crime in Boston since she took office. Earlier this year, Boston Police reported a
9 percent drop in overall crime in the city compared to the same period last year. In Philadelphia,
homicides and gun crimes are trending up, although total violent crime has recently decreased.
Bell, in St. Louis County,
created a unit to investigate and possibly overturn some past convictions as it probes allegations of police misconduct. Rollins, too, has set up a similar team in Suffolk County.
Like others, Bell also has focused heavily on diverting people convicted of nonviolent crimes from jail to rehabilitation programs, which he said "not only brings our crime rates down, but most importantly, it helps people and families."
Joe Gonzales, the Bexar County, Texas, criminal district attorney, told NBC News: "I believe the jail is for people that we're afraid of, not for people that commit minor offenses that are nonviolent."
"One of the reasons that I believe in the restorative justice is because punishment, like life, is gray," he said. "It's not just black and white. There's a lot of gray and there's a lot of opportunity for someone like me to give people a second chance."
Gonzales said the progressive prosecutor movement is gaining steam, adding, "You're going to see more reformers".
