District Attorney

The Basics

Pretty much every county in the US has a District Attorney. Your state might call them county attorneys, county prosecutors, state attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, commonwealth’s attorneys, or solicitors instead. Your county’s district attorney, or DA, leads an office of prosecutors, which is usually called the District Attorney’s Office. This office has the authority to press charges on any crimes that occur in the area they’re responsible for, and sometimes traffic violations too. The DA’s office also works with different law enforcement agencies, like your county sheriff’s department or your local police department, to investigate crimes; and often provides services to crime victims.

One of a prosecutor’s most important responsibilities is deciding which criminal cases get prosecuted and which do not. Depending on the circumstances, prosecutors may also have the power to decide what level of crime to charge a suspect with – and if you live in one of the many states that revokes voting rights for certain criminal convictions (this is called felony disenfranchisement), that means prosecutors have some power over voting rights too. Prosecutors often guide and recommend sentencing if a person is convicted, and they have the power to investigate, grant immunity, and offer plea bargains. The DA oversees all these choices for their office, which gives them a lot of power over your local justice system.

If you care about policing or criminal justice issues, the District Attorney is an especially important local office for you to know about, but the choices they make impact every single person in your community.

In almost every state, counties elect their district attorneys. There are a few exceptions: in Connecticut and New Jersey, DAs are appointed; and in Alaska, Delaware, and Rhode Island, all criminal prosecutions go directly through the state Attorney General’s office, so there aren’t any independent local DAs. Washington DC and the US territories, because they’re not states, are directly under the jurisdiction of the federal government, so crimes there are prosecuted by a US Attorney appointed by the President.

Source: the National District Attorneys Association

How can I make my voice heard?

Vote

In most states, DAs are elected, so they run campaigns just like your local city council member. That means you can vote for or against them.

Volunteer

You can also get directly involved by supporting or opposing their campaigns. Nationwide, more than 80% of DAs run unopposed, meaning that no one runs against them in elections, and voter turnout in these races is often very low – it’s not unusual for only 10 or 20% of eligible voters to cast ballots. That means you have a real opportunity to make a difference.

Who’s the boss?

In a few states, DAs are appointed – that means they have a boss. If you want to see change from your local DA, reach out to the boss (it could be your governor or a state commission). Find out how it works in your state and then ask for a meeting to discuss.

What have District Attorneys done?

District attorneys have a huge influence on policing and criminal justice issues in your community. Here are just a few examples of actions that have made a big impact:

  • Dale Cox
    Louisiana
    Sought the death penalty in more cases per capita than anywhere else in the country from 2010-2014, even as death sentences declined in the rest of the state
  • Steve Descano
    Virginia
    Established Fairfax County’s first Conviction Integrity Unit, which reviews cases where someone might have been wrongfully convicted and partners with the Innocence Project to exonerate people who are found to be innocent
  • Larry Krasner
    Pennsylvania
    Established a diversion program for people who are arrested for unlicensed gun possession and have no other adult criminal record; the program resulted in a 76% drop in re-arrests, and 67% of participants who completed it also found full-time jobs

How does it work in my state?

Scroll down and click on your state to learn more about the specifics of a district attorney’s powers and responsibilities where you live. (If your state isn’t here yet, check back often – we’re adding more info all the time. If your state doesn’t elect DAs, it won’t appear here.)

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