Crime, Drugs & Public Order
Prosecution & Accountability
Progressive-DA experiments and the fight over consequences for repeat offenders.
The left bubble
“Reform DAs are finally ending a system that locked up too many people for too little.”
What this side feels
- •Seen lives ruined by a felony record for a minor, nonviolent offense
- •Aware that the same conduct gets charged harder in poorer, Blacker neighborhoods
- •Convinced that locking everyone up never made anyone safer
Why it feels true
Shaped by decades of mass-incarceration data, exonerations, and the 2020 reckoning over racial disparity in charging. The feed rewards stories of prosecutorial overreach, so a DA who declines harsh charges reads as basic justice finally arriving.
The right bubble
“Soft-on-crime DAs built a revolving door, and the same offenders keep walking free.”
What this side feels
- •Watching the same names get arrested and released again and again
- •Anger that elected prosecutors seem to side with offenders over victims
- •Feeling that 'reform' has quietly become 'no consequences'
Why it feels true
Shaped by a wave of progressive prosecutors elected around 2019 to 2021 and by news coverage of cases where someone out on a prior charge offended again. The feed serves the worst individual outcomes, so the whole project looks like surrender.
Common ground
Almost everyone wants prosecutors to drop charges that don't serve justice AND to hold genuinely dangerous repeat offenders accountable. Those goals only conflict if you pretend discretion has to be all-or-nothing.
A hard floor — not a both-sides debate
Due process for the accused and protection for victims are both non-negotiable.
Solutions on the table
Case-by-case, not category-wide
Weigh each defendant's record and the harm done, rather than blanket declinations or blanket maximum charges.
Public, comparable data
Have DA offices publish charging, declination, and re-offense data in a standard format so claims can be checked rather than felt.
Targeted accountability for repeats
Reserve the firmest response for the small share of people driving a large share of serious crime.
Diversion that's real
Fund treatment and diversion for low-level cases so 'declined to prosecute' comes with an actual off-ramp.
Now make your voice count
Publish standardized charging and re-offense data, and focus the firmest prosecution on repeat serious offenders while expanding real diversion for low-level cases.
Take action
Who to contact: District Attorney and county board of supervisors
Your call script
Hi, my name is ___ and I live in [City]. I'm asking [Official] to publish charging, declination, and re-offense data in a standard, checkable format, and to focus the office's firmest response on repeat serious offenders. I also support real diversion and treatment for low-level cases. Thank you for your time.