PHILADELPHIA (March 2, 2022) – District Attorney Larry Krasner on Wednesday issued the following statement welcoming the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas announcement regarding a doubling of jury trials from four to eight per week effective March 14, 2022:
“The First Judicial District Criminal Trial Division leadership is to be commended for their response to the historic COVID-19 court emergency. For the past two years, the courts along with our criminal justice partners have worked collaboratively amid a deadly pandemic to manage an unprecedented backlog of cases that could not be resolved as quickly or as efficiently as was ideal. Thanks to this collaboration, we are even closer to being able to begin reducing the backlog.
“With such a significant number of misdemeanor and non-violent cases already disposed thanks to Zoom and other innovations, such as jail site courtrooms, my office is preparing for resumption of more serious criminal trials including for the most serious offenses of shootings, armed robberies, carjackings, sexual assault, and murder. We will continue to work with the courts, police, defense counsel, and all other system partners to try to expand the volume of serious criminal cases being tried even further, until we are back at pre-pandemic levels. And we will continue to support co-victims, survivors, and witnesses through their tragically prolonged ordeals, with the goal of delivering accountability and opportunities for healing.”
For more information on how pandemic restrictions have altered the criminal court system, click the “Courts” tab on the DAO Data Dashboard COVID-19 Report.
CONTACT: Jane Roh, 215-686-8711, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.