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SAFETY & JUSTICE

Charging Unit

Getting the right outcome starts at the beginning: defining the crime.

The Assistant District Attorneys in the Charging Unit promptly review all sight arrests and arrest warrants and determine which charges our office will prosecute.

Prior to drafting a criminal complaint that lists charges and summarizes the factual basis for the charges, the prosecutors in this unit ensure that all arrests and warrants are supported by probable cause and all reasonable investigatory steps were followed by the police department.

The prosecutors in this unit work collaboratively with the support of their supervisors around the clock to make well-reasoned charging decisions. 

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“In all that we do, our goal is to be consistently fair.”

Larry Krasner
District Attorney

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DATA LAB: MEASURING JUSTICE

Bail reform is essential to meaningful criminal justice reform.
Research in Philadelphia found that the use of cash bail and pretrial detention disproportionately impacts people living in poverty and people of color, influencing the trajectory of legal cases, and is a driver of mass incarceration.
Fifty days into DA Krasner’s administration, the Philadelphia DAO implemented a new policy targeting 25 charges where an analysis of historical data showed the courts had been setting bail very low— requiring payment of less than $1,000. For these specific charges, a presumption was created to not request cash bail.
One year after implementing this policy, we worked with outside researchers to evaluate the results. The study showed that cash bail can be reformed without compromising the goal of public safety.
Read the Report

CHARGING UNIT: OUR APPROACH

We base our charging decisions on a deep understanding of the rules and precedents of Pennsylvania’s criminal law and the Crimes Code, and balance this with a practical approach to what makes the most sense for our community.
We ensure everyone in the Charging Unit follows a clear process and the same guidelines. The team is given immediate notification of and training on policy updates so that charging decisions are consistent, logical and streamlined.
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UNIT TEAM LEADERSHIP

Supervisor:
Amanda Hedrick
[email protected]
Assistant Supervisor:
Clint Orem
[email protected]

 

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