Behind the Right’s War on Prosecutors
Reform-minded prosecutors across the country have faced efforts to remove them from office or limit their powers.
Eric Tegethoff Aug 03, 2023
Chesa Boudin Looms Over the Race for the Oakland Area’s Next Prosecutor
Pamela Price is running a progressive campaign to change the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in California. She’s winning. But her opponent, longtime prosecutor Terry Wiley, is trying to paint her as the next Chesa Boudin to score votes.
Akintunde Ahmad Nov 04, 2022
Who Will San Francisco Blame for Crime and Disorder Now?
If Brooke Jenkins fails to deliver results with “tough-on-crime” policies, will San Franciscans blame her, just as they did her predecessor, Chesa Boudin?
Nick Wing Aug 10, 2022
Brooke Jenkins Can’t Have It Both Ways
The new San Francisco DA is mixing “tough-on-crime” rhetoric with phony progressivism. Neither will solve the city’s problems.
Rachel Marshall Aug 05, 2022
The Chesa Boudin Recall Was a Fight to Protect the Status Quo
For the wealthy backers of the Boudin recall, “progressive” prosecutors are the perfect scapegoat for what they see as threats to a system that treats them just fine.
Jerry Iannelli Jun 08, 2022
The Dishonest Blame Game of Retail Store Closures and Crime
Reporters who parrot corporate claims of out-of-control theft play into a narrative that benefits big business and perpetuates carceral policies.
Kyle C. Barry Jun 22, 2021
D.A.s Are Asking Biden to End the Death Penalty. But Some Are Still Wielding It Themselves
Prosecutors who have championed criminal justice reforms are still seeking death sentences, opposing appeals, and, in some cases, have even petitioned for execution dates.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 05, 2021
The Successes and Shortcomings of Larry Krasner’s Trailblazing First Term
Philadelphia’s top prosecutor has made good on promises to reduce incarceration in the city. His re-election bid will be a litmus test for the progressive prosecutor movement he helped start.
Joshua Vaughn Mar 22, 2021
How Chesa Boudin Is Pursuing His Promise to Reduce Incarceration
After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA’s policies have kept people out of jails and prisons.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 18, 2021
California Prosecutors’ Association Reveals More Public Money May Have Been Misspent
New evidence suggests more accounting troubles for the CDAA.
Jerry Iannelli Mar 05, 2021
California’s D.A. Association Misspent $3 million. Environmental Groups Want it Repaid
A coalition of environmental groups urges the legislature to force the repayment and dissociate from the CDAA.
Jerry Iannelli Feb 23, 2021
Newly Elected Los Angeles DA Will End Cash Bail in Nation’s Largest Prosecutor Office
On his first day in office, George Gascón said prosecutors will not seek bail starting Jan. 1, a win for criminal justice reformers.
Eliyahu Kamisher Dec 07, 2020
Highway Stop-And-Frisk: How Pennsylvania State Troopers Conduct Illegal Traffic Searches
A review of five years of cases that arose from traffic stops in the south-central region of the state shows that police used underhand tactics to justify holding and searching drivers illegally.
Joseph Darius Jaafari, Joshua Vaughn Aug 31, 2020
California D.A.s Call For Ban on Police Union Money and Endorsements in Prosecutorial Elections
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and others say the money creates ethical conflicts when police are prosecuted for misconduct.
Eliyahu Kamisher Jun 03, 2020
Jails and Prisons Must Reduce Their Populations Now
We did it in San Francisco. If we are smart about how we respond to COVID-19 in the criminal legal system, then we can simultaneously tackle two crises.
Cristine Soto DeBerry May 12, 2020
Prosecutors Across U.S. Call for Action to Mitigate Spread of Coronavirus in Jails and Prisons
In a joint statement, they emphasized the need to reduce the number of people currently incarcerated in order to contain the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Jessica Pishko Mar 17, 2020
Coronavirus Leaves Defense Attorneys Torn Between Visiting Their Jailed Clients And Spreading The Illness
To prevent more people from being infected with COVID-19, defense attorneys are calling for courts to release people.
Lauren Gill Mar 17, 2020
San Francisco Officials Push to Reduce Jail Population to Prevent Coronavirus Outbreak
The public defender and district attorney both directed their staffs to keep individuals who are more vulnerable to the virus out of jail.
Darwin BondGraham Mar 11, 2020
San Francisco D.A. To Announce Sweeping Changes On Sentencing Policy and Police Stops
As a candidate, Chesa Boudin condemned gang enhancements as racist. Now as DA he plans to significantly limit, if not eliminate, their use.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Feb 28, 2020
Family Separation And ‘A Longer View Of Public Safety’: A Conversation With San Francisco D.A. Chesa Boudin
“We will prioritize family integrity and family unity at every stage of the process to the extent we can do so.”
Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 24, 2020
New San Francisco D.A. Inherits Chance To Hold Police Accountable In Shooting Of Man With Mental Illness
Activists hope Chesa Boudin will press charges, and push for systemic changes to address the criminalization of mental illness.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jan 22, 2020
Chesa Boudin Sworn In as San Francisco’s New District Attorney
The former deputy public defender promised that his office would immediately end cash bail and stop seeking three-strikes sentencing enhancements.
Jay Willis Jan 08, 2020
Can A Prosecutor Be Progressive And Take Sex Crimes Seriously?
The rise of progressive prosecutors and the #MeToo movement has meant an increased focus on sexual assault. But justice cannot be measured in more prosecution or long sentences.
Marissa Hoechstetter Jan 08, 2020
Public Defender Chesa Boudin Wins San Francisco D.A. Race In Major Victory For Progressive Prosecutor Movement
Son of incarcerated parents, backed by Black Lives Matter co-founders, Boudin will be the next DA of San Francisco.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 09, 2019
Deadlocked San Francisco District Attorney Race Shows Strength of Progressive Prosecutor Movement
Chesa Boudin is just 240 votes behind Suzy Loftus, even after local law enforcement spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat him.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 06, 2019
Who Gets To Proclaim The Progressive Prosecutor Mantle?
Interim San Francisco D.A. Suzy Loftus claims to be a “progressive,” but her long record as a prosecutor reveals an all-too-familiar path chosen by establishment-types who have little interest in disrupting the status quo.
Patrisse Cullors Nov 01, 2019
San Francisco Police Brutality Claim Puts Pressure on Next D.A. to Hold Cops Accountable
Ahead of the city’s district attorney election on Tuesday, the alleged baton beating last month of Dacari Spiers has renewed debate over police accountability.
Darwin BondGraham Nov 01, 2019
Interim San Francisco D.A. Suzy Loftus is Running for Office as a Reformer. But Critics Say She Didn’t Do Enough to Reform the SFPD.
Loftus led the San Francisco Police Commission through a bloody and turbulent era.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 04, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: Chesa Boudin And The Meaning of ‘Reform’
With Chesa Boudin, candidate for San Francisco district attorney
Adam H. Johnson Sep 19, 2019
San Francisco Deserves Restorative Justice
Our response to crime should focus on healing and accountability, not punishment and retribution.
Chesa Boudin Aug 30, 2019
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Chesa Boudin Announces Run for District Attorney
In a wide-ranging interview, Boudin, a progressive reform candidate, told The Appeal he wants to redefine ‘public safety’ to encompass the rights of both victims and defendants.
Melissa Gira Grant Jan 15, 2019