The game for Philadelphia for District Attorneys was a game to watch in this weird election cycle when Pennsylvania had neither national nor state elections, so there was no doubt that turnout would be low.

Incumbent Larry Krasner faces a competitive Democratic junior race against retired city judge Pat Dugan. Voters will decide on May 20, 2025.

Krasner received national attention when he initially served as "Progressive Prosecutor" in 2017 and received financial support from Liberal financier and philanthropist George Soros.

Once elected, he was what I wrote in my book Reform Philadelphia, 1682 - 2022, “Arguably the liberal DA in the history of the city, who ran for never fulfilling his death penalty, ended cash bail, and sought alternatives without jail.”

Meanwhile, Dugan previously served not only as a city judge, but also as a presidential judge. This means that other city court judges choose criminal and civilian teachers to lead the court.

Krasner or Dugan will be the city's next district attorney because there are no Republican or independent candidates running for the election.

So, what are regional lawyers doing anyway?

Chief law enforcement officer

District Attorneys are often referred to as "Chief Law Enforcement Officer" in a district (usually a county). Their office is responsible for alleging and prosecution (or deciding not to prosecute) people arrested for the county’s crime.

However, the DA did not lead the police.

The police are usually the mayor's next separate office, responsible for "staying peace" and have the authority to arrest people suspected of committing crimes.

Attorneys working in the DA office decide whether to accuse the arrested of the crime and what crime should be charged against them based on police reports and other evidence.

The DA's office then tried to convince a criminal court judge to feel guilty about the person who committed the crime.

Election and Independence

Crucially, the district attorney was elected. They are independent from the mayor who oversees the police and separate from the mayor. In fact, DA's office may not agree with the mayor's office on policy issues related to law enforcement, but they still have to work together.

It is a form of split government and checks and balances, with some policy differences in the relationship between Krasner and Philadelphia Mayor Cheryl Parker.

Krasner, for example, advocates for hazard reduction programs such as needle trading and monitoring injection locations to address the city’s opioid addiction crisis. However, the Parker administration has canceled funds for the city's plan to deal with needles in the 2025 budget.

State officials

The fact that DA usually works for the county is also important. Unlike towns, counties are administrative subunits of states. Therefore, Darth is a state law enforcement officer.

Philadelphia is the only merged city and county in Pennsylvania, meaning that the city and county have the same geographical boundaries and that most of its government has been merged.

There are no powers, duties and responsibilities of designated district attorney's office in the Philadelphia Lord Ruling Charter, but rather designated in Pennsylvania merger regulations.

The purpose of making the DA accountable as a state official to their respective counties is that it provides some unity in law enforcement across the state. This is important given the potential severity of criminal charges, which may include the death penalty in Pennsylvania.

However, it is important to note that Pennsylvania also divides its counties into nine separate “classes” based on population. Each class is suitable for different conditions.

With more than 1.5 million residents, Philadelphia is the only top-notch county in the state. It is also unique in terms of the workload of DA, due to the county’s population size and high arrest rates.

From a policy-making perspective, the large number of crimes that can be prosecuted make the Philadelphia DA's office important.

Discretionary power

District prosecutors do not enact criminal laws. However, each DA has obvious discretion in concentrating the attorney’s attention.

Under Krasner, there are approximately 300 DAS and 600 employees, including other lawyers.

DAS decides which kind of attorney they serve as DAS assistant. For example, they decide whether those lawyers are more progressive or more traditional in law and sequential philosophy. When Krasner became DA, some personnel terminated other staff members left. This provides a lot of opportunities for new DAs to hire new people.

DAS also has obvious discretion in terms of whether to charge the offenders which crimes and what crimes they are charged.

For example, Krasner decided in 2018 not to charge people with marijuana possession. He also instructed his team not to charge sex workers arrested for prostitution. And, for a time, if the stolen goods were worth less than $500, he reduced allegations against shoplifters, making its crime less serious.

Krasner's leniency towards minor crimes is the basis of one of Dugan's main criticisms: DA is responsible for the increase in shopping burglary in Philadelphia. The major retailer, most notably the Wawa convenience store chain, has used theft as a reason to close city stores.

Krasner noted that he established a retail theft task force in 2024 and now treats theft as a crime under $500 more serious.

Alternatives to incarceration

In line with these discretions, DAS can also develop special initiatives, such as transfer plans, which can both replace convictions and imprisonment.

For example, a transfer program that Krasner expanded was a juvenile offender who steals a car. Instead of being charged with crime, young people are incorporated into a five-week program to teach decision-making and other life skills.

Dugan is also active in the transfer space and played a major role in establishing a Veterans Court in Philadelphia in 2010. Veterans Courts recognize the unique problems faced by many veterans, especially in drug use and mental health issues, and attempts to divert them from the criminal justice system and treatment while reducing the burden on traditional criminal courts.

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