sign in sign up
<<
Home , District attorney, Prosecutor

If you are thinking about running for local office to WHY RUN FOR LOCALLY positively impact lives and to transform communities, elected might ELECTED PROSECUTOR? be right for you. An elected prosecutor is the top • decline to prosecute for simple drug enforcement official in a local or possession, district. Depending on the state, an elected A new wave of reform-oriented • decline to prosecute offenses with prosecutor may go by titles like “District candidates are increasingly large racial disparities in arrest rates, Attorney,” “State Attorney,” “Prosecuting winning these offices and Attorney” or “County Attorney.” They are • consider immigration consequences implementing bold agendas elected to 4-year terms by the voters in the when deciding whether and how to that reduce mass county or local district that they serve. charge a , incarceration, fight racial • decline to prosecute women who injustice, and protect civil What does an elected seek an abortion contrary to anti- rights and civil liberties in prosecutor do? choice state , their local communities, • prioritize prosecution of Elected are among the most environmental , wage theft, regardless of what happens powerful of local officials. They decide and corruption. at the federal level. whether to charge someone with a crime Elected prosecutors' opinions are also or offer a second chance; to divert someone enormously influential to lawmakers, and to treatment or lock them up in prison. their voice can make or break proposed Elected prosecutors can also protect reforms. many other civil rights and liberties, for example:

Voters overwhelmingly prefer prosecutor candidates who commit to reform:

89% 77% 79% voter support for ending voter support for voter support for holding mass incarceration reducing racial bias accountable

2017 National Phone Survey of Likely Voters, David Binder Research (Nov. 2017) (https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/americans-overwhelmingly-support-prosecutorial-reform-poll-finds) What kind of people are What pro-civil liberties elected as prosecutors? policies should be LOCALLY ELECTED Recently-elected prosecutors include championed by elected PROSECUTORS GO increasing numbers of women, people prosecutors? of color, public defenders, civil rights TO HIGHER OFFICE attorneys and candidates with no previous Prosecutors should prioritize the following prosecutor experience. A 2019 study also four areas to promote civil rights and civil Office-Holders With found that when women of all races and liberties: Prosecutorial Backgrounds men of color run in competitive prosecutor • Adopt radical transparency. (2007–2017) 2 races, they are more likely to win than Prosecutors’ offices have historically 1 white men. been "black boxes" hidden from • In 2016, Aramis Ayala became the public view. Gathering and sharing State first black woman ever elected as a data allows prosecutors to measure Attorneys 38% States’ Attorney in history. outcomes, identify racial disparities, General Ayala had worked extensively as a and fosters accountability and rebuilds trust with communities. public defender in addition to her prior experience as a prosecutor. • Become a vocal champion of statewide reforms. Elected • In 2017, Larry Krasner, a civil prosecutors should actively support rights attorney with no prior state laws to reduce incarceration Governors prosecutorial experience, ran on a 19% and distance themselves from state platform of reducing incarceration prosecutor associations that have in Philadelphia and was elected as long supported the "tough-on-crime" . quo. • In 2018, Rachael Rollins became the • Pledge to reduce incarceration by first black female District Attorney in a specific percentage during the U.S. Senators when she was elected first term. Every elected prosecutor 10% in Suffolk County (Boston), after should set a measurable goal for promising to stop prosecuting certain reducing incarceration and share crimes with high racial disparities. a plan to get there. For example, Rollins’ previous experience included recently-elected Dallas District time as an employees’ rights attorney Attorney John Cruezot pledged to and civil rights . reduce incarceration 15–20% through a combination of reforms, including • In 2019, Parisa Deghani-Taft, who limits on cash bail. Chicago State’s emigrated to the as a Attorney Kim Foxx reduced the 47 child and spent her career as a public members of the number of people sent to prisons by defender and law professor working to 19% with sentencing reforms and 115th Congress are exonerate people who were wrongfully expanded diversion programs. 3 convicted, was elected as the former prosecutors commonwealth attorney in Arlington, • Transfer resources to community- . based solutions outside the criminal legal system. Many social The ACLU is a non-partisan issues, like substance dependency and mental health needs, should not be organization that does not endorse 1  Reflective Democracy, "Tipping the Scales: or support any individual candidate Challengers Take on the Old Boys Club of Elected handled by the criminal legal system. Prosecutors (Oct. 2019) (https://wholeads.us/tipping- As gatekeepers of that system, elected for office. To learn more about the-scales-read-the-report/) prosecutors should that 2  Wendy Sawyer and Alex Clark, New data: The rise of the ACLU's publicly-available the “prosecutor politician”, Prison Policy Institute public resources be prioritized for resources on prosecutor reform, Blog (July 13, 2017) (https://www.prisonpolicy.org/ community-based services better blog/2017/07/13/prosecutors/) contact Taylor Pendergrass, 3  Congressional Research Service, Membership of 115th equipped to treat these problems. Congress (Dec. 20, 2018) (https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/ [email protected]. R44762.pdf)