Prosecutors — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Prosecutors

Currently, prosecutors in both the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems have too much discretion in pressing charges, determining what sentences are sought, and negotiating plea deals. Trial by jury is a key tenant of the American criminal justice system, but heightened prosecutorial power significantly reduces the power and frequency of a trial by peers. Attempts at sentencing reform must address largely unchecked prosecutorial discretion.

Posts in State Reforms

Oregon Prosecutors Continue to Fight Criminal Justice Reform With Fearmongering

“The ODAA is leading the charge against SB 1008—as the Mercury reported last week, the association has been circulating a report that includes both questionable claims about Measure 11’s efficacy and sensitive information about individual defendants and victims. Its members are also disseminating the idea that SB 1008 could free every person currently incarcerated for a violent crime they committed as a minor, despite legislators’ insistence that SB 1008 wouldn’t be retroactive. In advancing this theory, ODAA members are using every available platform—from the House Judiciary Committee floor to Lars Larson’s ultra-conservative radio show—to pinpoint specific offenders’ names, and talk up the gruesome details of their crimes.“

Portland Mercury

April 29, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 29, 2019Portland Mercury, OregonComment

How to Separate District Attorney Candidates All Claiming to be Progressive

“Those positions, however beneficial to the accused, are hardly radical and are espoused by virtually every candidate in the Queens District Attorney race. It therefore behooves those searching for a progressive candidate to try and figure out who might truly be progressive, let alone radical. With that task in mind, here is a modest list of 13 questions that might reveal the depths of a candidate’s progressive beliefs:“

Gotham Gazette

April 22, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 22, 2019Gotham Gazette, Queens, Queens County, New York CityComment

New Yorkers from Queens to Rochester Vote for Prosecutor This Year: A First Preview

“New York’s legislature reformed the state’s criminal legal system in March by adopting a slate of changes that criminal justice reformers have long championed. On paper, the 25 district attorney elections scheduled for 2019 offer the opportunity for another big overhaul, including on the very issues—bail, discovery rules, trial speed—that lawmakers just addressed.“

The Appeal

April 18, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 18, 2019The Appeal, New YorkComment

Dallas County DA's new policies aim at ending mass incarceration

“Cruezot released his reform initiatives on Thursday that focus on ending mass incarcerations. Those who know Cruezot well consider him pragmatic, innovative and a problem solver. He's only been in office 100 days, but he says the new initiates are the foundation of what will ensure justice is fairly and evenly dispensed to all Dallas County residents and very likely save taxpayer money along the way. “

Fox 4 Dallas

April 11, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 11, 2019Fox 4 Dallas, Texas, DallasComment

Michigan attorney general launches wrongful conviction unit

“"The unit will investigate credible claims of innocence to ensure no one is convicted of a crime they didn’t actually commit," the release said. Since innocence projects began popping up in the 1990s, dozens of Michigan prisoners have been exonerated, including a record 14 in 2017, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.“

The Detroit News

April 10, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 10, 2019Detroit News, Michigan, Conviction Integrity UnitsComment

If Prisons Don't Work, What Will?

“Though some prosecutors and state legislatures are now embarking on serious reforms, there’s still so much further to go. Bipartisan support is increasing but still has to build. The candidate for president who makes that happen can reap political benefits — and more important, make America so much better.“

New York Times

April 5, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 5, 2019New York Times, Emily BazelonComment

Philly DA Larry Krasner: We took on mass incarceration. Now we’re addressing mass supervision.

“‘I think people instinctively believed too much supervision is not enough. But it turns out too much supervision is too much. ... It does tremendous harm, and it costs a fortune,’ Krasner said in an interview outlining policies to be announced Thursday. Nationally, about 40 percent of people on probation are reincarcerated, making community supervision a major driver of incarceration. About 40 percent of Philadelphia’s jail population is being held on a detainer for a violation of probation or parole.“

Philadelphia Inquirer

March 21, 2019

Sentencing, State ReformsPhillip ReevesMarch 21, 2019Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Larry KrasnerComment

Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins's Office is Still Prosecuting Cases She Pledged to Drop

“But advocates say, so far, that’s not the case. Court Watch MA, a grassroots group that observes arraignments daily across three of the eight Boston Municipal Courts in Suffolk County, says that since Rollins’s Jan. 2 inauguration, its members have seen dozens of cases that seem to contradict her promises.“

The Appeal

February 6, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesFebruary 6, 2019The Appeal, Suffolk County, Rachael Rollins, BostonComment

Beware of the Backlash Against Reform Prosecutors

“Now, the National Police Association (NPA), a little-known nonprofit formed in 2017, has filed a bar complaint with the Office of the Bar Counsel in Massachusetts in a presumed attempt to strip Rollins’ law license. The complaint itself is unlikely to succeed, as it fails to clearly state how she violated the Massachusetts Bar’s ethics rules. But it is worth highlighting as a significant attempt to close the main “safety valve” against American mass incarceration: reform-minded elected prosecutors.“

The Crime Report

January 7, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesJanuary 7, 2019The Crime Report, Rachael RollinsComment

Larry Krasner’s first year as Philly DA: Staff turnover, fewer cases, plenty of controversy

“In public remarks, policy changes, and staffing decisions, Krasner, who campaigned on a pledge to curb mass incarceration, has sought to remake the culture of his agency, if not the system at large. He has personally led a national recruiting effort and turned over almost 30 percent of the office’s staff, while unveiling directives that rethink charging decisions, bail requests, and sentencing recommendations.“

Philadelphia Inquirer

January 6, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesJanuary 6, 2019Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Larry KrasnerComment

Tough-on-crime prosecutors distort truth, block prison reform

“In March, Mr. Montgomery said that most people who call for criminal justice reform have “no data to support it.” Perhaps that is the biggest myth of all, or at least the most ironic. The evidence that Arizona’s criminal justice system is broken and overly dependent on prison is overwhelming. Texas saw similar evidence and was compelled to start down the path of reform. So did Utah and Nevada and even Louisiana, not long ago dubbed “the world’s prison capital.” In Arizona, prosecutors should not be allowed to bury the truth any longer.“

Arizona Capitol Times

December 13, 2018

State ReformsPhillip ReevesDecember 13, 2018Arizona, Arizona Capitol Times, Bill MontgomeryComment

Prosecutorial Misconduct Commission Will Only Be as Strong as Underlying Disciplinary Rules—And That’s a Problem

“New York’s elected district attorneys are at war with the governor and legislature over a new, first-in-the-nation, State Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct…,charged with reviewing claims that those charged with enforcing the law in a court of law might, themselves, be acting unlawfully. The District Attorneys Association of New York has sued to declare the Commission unconstitutional.“

New York Law Journal

December 12, 2018

State ReformsPhillip ReevesDecember 12, 2018New York, New York Law JournalComment

Settlement squashes NY state panel probing prosecutorial misconduct

“A settlement between New York district attorneys and the state has killed a criminal justice reform measure that would create an independent body to investigate bad prosecutors. The District Attorneys Association of the State of New York sued in October over the legislation, which it argued violated the state Constitution, that would create a panel to go after dirty DAs. Under the agreement between the prosecutor’s group and the state both the lawsuit and the creation of the panel are on hold — with the state being prohibited from making appointments to the commission.”

NY Daily News

December 10, 2018

State ReformsPhillip ReevesDecember 10, 2018New York Daily News, New YorkComment

Are Americans Finally Turning Away From ‘Tough-on-Crime’ Era?

“The victories chalked up by Creuzot and Thompson underlined a fact that has largely been overlooked in postmortems of this month’s midterms: the growing support of voters for genuine change in the criminal justice system regardless of their party affiliations—-and there is perhaps no clearer bellwether for how far voters think the needle should move on criminal justice reform than how they vote for local prosecutors.“

The Crime Report

November 12, 2018

State ReformsPhillip ReevesNovember 12, 2018The Crime ReportComment

Rollins to Become Boston's First Female Top Prosecutor

“Rollins has pledged to push for ending cash bail, to hire a more diverse slate of prosecutors and to collect data to find potential biases among her staff. She has said her office will generally not prosecute more than a dozen crimes, including shoplifting and drug possession, dismissing the cases or treating them like civil infractions that require offenders to pay restitution or complete programs.“

US News & World Report

November 7, 2018

State ReformsPhillip ReevesNovember 7, 2018US News and World Report, Boston, Suffolk CountyComment

Fight Trump or Baltimore's violence? Question is at heart of Maryland attorney general's race

“Frosh says Wolf’s focus on criminal prosecutions misunderstands the role of the attorney general — which has to ask permission from local prosecutors before using a grand jury to investigate or file charges — and overlooks Frosh’s efforts to do more to help tackle violent crime. Frosh hired senior prosecutors from the Baltimore state’s attorney’s office as leaders on his team and started a violent crime unit, which he says has brought charges against more than 100 people. He says all this ‘by large measures, exceeded what most of my predecessors did’.“

Baltimore Sun

October 17, 2018

State ReformsPhillip ReevesOctober 17, 2018Baltimore Sun, MarylandComment

The next Hennepin County Attorney will control the criminal justice system for 1.2 million people

“But Freeman’s critics say he hasn’t done enough to reduce overall incarceration levels. At a time when most states were reducing prison populations, the number of people that Hennepin County sent to prison was going up, from 1,509 prison admissions in 2012 to 1,664 in 2017. Nearly 70 percent of the people that Hennepin County prosecutors and judges sent to Minnesota prisons in 2017 were black.“

Twin Cities Daily Planet

October 16, 2018

State ReformsPhillip ReevesOctober 16, 2018Twin Cities Daily Planet, Minnesota, MinneapolisComment

CA prosecutors ask Gov. Brown to veto two prison reform bills

“More than two-thirds of California’s top county prosecutors are asking Gov. Jerry Brown to veto bills on his desk that have been cheered by prison reform advocates. One bill would bar 14- and 15-year-olds from being prosecuted as adults, while the other would narrow the scope of California’s felony murder rule, which holds murder accomplices just as accountable as those who committed the killing.“

San Francisco Chronicle

September 21, 2018

State ReformsPhillip ReevesSeptember 21, 2018San Francisco Chronicle, CaliforniaComment

Rory Lancman Wants to be the 'Larry Krasner of Queens'--And Says He Can Prove It

"As council member from central Queens since 2014, Lancman has been a leading supporter of many criminal justice reform issues, including closing Rikers, ending marijuana arrests, and scaling down penalties for low-level crimes. Despite his position on Rikers, the city’s corrections union has continued to support Lancman, giving him the maximum allowed donation in his 2013 and 2017 campaigns."

The Appeal

August 7, 2018

Prosecutors, State ReformsAnthony BradleyAugust 8, 2018The Appeal, Rory Lancman, Queens, Larry Krasner

DA race over, but push for reform isn’t

"The fight for reform manifested in Nevada in this year’s Democratic primary for district attorney in Clark County, where incumbent Steve Wolfson beat attorney Robert Langford. Though voters rallied behind Langford in the hope he would overhaul parts of the local justice system such as bail reform, the election was never solely about the candidates."

The Nevada Current

August 3, 2018

Mass Incarceration, Overcriminalization, State ReformsAnthony BradleyAugust 3, 2018Nevada Current, Nevada, Clark County, Las Vegas