Philadelphia DA election: What you need to know about the Democratic primary candidates
Philadelphia voters will decide the future of the city’s criminal justice system in a high-stakes Democratic primary for district attorney. Incumbent Larry Krasner, a progressive reformer, faces his latest challenge from Patrick Dugan, a former municipal judge who presents himself as a pragmatist prioritizing law and order.
The outcome of the May 20 election will determine the city’s top prosecutor. No Republican candidate has entered the race. The contest pits two competing philosophies against each other: Krasner’s commitment to continuing to overhaul a historically punitive system and Dugan’s pledge to restore a sense of safety.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office was established in 1850 to represent Philadelphia and the state in the prosecution of local criminal cases. Since then, it has become one of the largest prosecutor’s offices in the country, with 600 lawyers and other staff.
The primary function of the district attorney is to work with law enforcement agencies and build cases against defendants and present evidence in court. For decades, the office has initiated diversion and rehabilitation programs, providing alternatives to incarceration, such as drug treatment programs, mental health services and community service. One notable initiative, the Accelerated Misdemeanor Program, was introduced in 2010 to redirect individuals charged with nonviolent misdemeanors into programs emphasizing community service and rehabilitation.
https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-district-attorney-race-preview-krasner-dugan/