On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing District Attorney races across the country. Progressive prosecutors are pursuing policies to reduce sentences, divert people from jail, eliminate cash bail and more aggressively prosecute police for misconduct.
Several reform DAs are facing Republicans who say these policies cause crime and make communities more dangerous. Republicans and their supporters have spent over $60M on ads blaming Democrats for high crime and their claims are getting endless media attention. What do the facts say?
A team of seven academic researchers studied data on recorded crime from 65 major cities and found homicides increased less rapidly in cities with progressive prosecutors than in those with traditional DAs.
Guests:
Christine Soto Deberry, founder and executive director of the Prosecutors Alliance of California
Miriam Aroni Krinsky, executive director of the Fair and Just Prosecution, and author of Change from Within: Reimagining the 21st-Century Prosecutor
Akhi Johnson, director of the Reshaping Prosecution Initiative at the Vera Institute
Web Resources:
The Appeal: Three Prosecutor Races to Watch in November
Los Angeles Times: Editorial: The empire strikes back — against progressive prosecutors
The Marshall Project: How Conservatives Are Trying to Shut Down the Progressive Prosecutor Movement
The Nation: Can a District Attorney Dismantle Mass Incarceration and Fight for Gender Justice?
Mother Jones: Blaming Larry Krasner for Gun Violence Does Not Make Statistical Sense
San Francisco Chronicle: California’s progressive prosecutors are enhancing safety through reform
