Attend a debate. Inform your vote.
On Thursday, June 7 at the historic Hibernian Hall in the heart of Roxbury, the What a Difference a DA Makes public education campaign will host the first of many district attorney candidate debates.
The race for the Suffolk County District Attorney has generated significant […]
Electing to end cash bail
Imagine it’s Friday evening and you’re arrested on your way home. You spend the weekend in the police station. On Monday, the assistant district attorney asks the Court to set your bail at $500. The Judge agrees. You don’t have $500, so you spend the […]
DAs and mandatory minimums
In the United States, approximately 94 percent of all convictions happen because the accused plead guilty. This means that people charged with crimes rarely – if ever – go to trial. For some, this may be an indication that the system is working […]
District attorneys and civil asset forfeiture
When the ACLU of Massachusetts conducted a poll last July, voters were most surprised to learn that district attorneys control funds gained through civil asset forfeiture.
Sixty percent of voters were surprised to learn that there are situations where district attorneys can take […]
DAs and the power to prevent reform
Every legislative session, criminal law reform advocates ask the legislature to pass progressive reforms to our criminal legal system that would make it fairer for everyone. But there is one group that has remained resistant to sensible reform: district attorneys.
One area district attorneys have […]
District attorney 101: the power they wield
District Attorneys are among the most powerful people in the criminal legal system in Massachusetts, and play a major role in determining the way criminal cases are initiated and ultimately resolved. They wield a substantial amount of power throughout the judicial process – from charging […]