Philly D.A.

"It's nice to have power instead of outrage."

• Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

Brilliant!

I haven't lived in the USA for a while, so forgive me if this is all new news for me. I was hooked from the very first scene in which Krasner and his team are in the process of ending "stupid" which in this case consisted of completely draconian laws regarding victimless crimes (minor drug possession and prostitution).

Krasner's basic philosophy is to end incarceration for petty crimes and use the money for other, more beneficial programs. If anyone still believes that we aren't putting enough people in jail in America, perhaps they would be more comfortable living in a dictatorship?

Krasner just seems like a really decent human being. He has been married to the same woman for three decades. He is committed and idealistic. OMG, the conservatives must totally hate him for that.

Ever since I was probably sixteen years old, I've felt that where a person stands on the death penalty is a litmus test for character and consistency. Krasner ran and won partly on his views against capital punishment. Obviously, many people in Philadelphia agree with him.

Too much weight has been given to John McNesby, the FOP chairman and a disgusting slob of a human being, not just because of his appearance, but for his Neanderthal views on the criminal justice system. McNesby claims that Krasner was never pro-law enforcement. A district attorney doesn't have to be pro-law enforcement, especially if he doesn't agree with the corrupt and racist practices of that department.

The former supervisor of the D. A. Juvenile Division was shown repeated on camera in direct opposition to the policies of the incoming new District Attorney, yet she seems surprised when she is replaced. Get with the program, lady, or hit the streets. The DA is a political appointment, he has to win an election which means he is going to be held accountable by the people who vote him in. He would be failing to serve the public if he allowed someone like her to sabotage his administration and their mission.

It's unbelievable that many people within the law enforcement system in Philadelphia wouldn't even give Krasner's policies a chance, like that bald judge shown in the series, for example. He claims he's been doing his job for thirty years...he says this without even a trace of irony as he presides over a completely failed system.

First let me start off by stating that I am a born and raised Philadelphian. This documentary just blew my mind, I watched all eight episodes back to back. I was lied to, finally the truth is exposed. Krasner may be tge best thing to happen to Philadelphia since the Cheesesteak. It's a must see!!!!!

There is a big move in the United States right now to elect "progressive" DA's who want to lessen the number of people in jail and prison. They run on not prosecuting non violent crimes and juvenile suspects. And redirecting funds to rehabilitation and social programs. Unfortunately at the time of this review, crime was up in all or most of the cities with these progressive DA's.

I support not imprisoning so many people. Especially for small drug possesion amounts. But I believe the first responsibility of the criminal justice system --- which includes the district attorney's office --- is to keep the law abiding public safe. Not giving second and third chances to career criminals.

This series spent most of it's time on not prosecuting certain crimes, releasing people from incarceration, and going after "bad" cops. And little to none on prosecuting, convicting and jailing violent criminals.

I don't know how long this series is. I just finished episode 8.

And I don't know how long this experiment is going to last. I just wonder how many law abiding people are going to suffer being criminally victimized, before this progressive DA movement either turns things around. Or people decide it's not working.

Unlike the other people reviewing this nonsensical puff piece about Krasner, I actually live in the hell hole of Philadelphia and completely understand what he's done here. Let me be perfectly clear, the man is absolutely hated in this city. We set a record for homicides last year and are on pace to break it this year already. This has nothing to do with Donald Trump and everything to do with Krasner and his "progressive" policies. Don't waste your time with this show, just look at the stats.

As Episode 1 of "Philly D. A." (2021 release; 8 episodes of about 55 min. Each) opens, it is "January, 2018" and Larry Krasner, a lifelong civil rights and criminal defense lawyer, is being sworn in as Philadelphia's new District Attorney. We sit in on the "First Policy Meeting" of Krasner and his closest advisors, and immediately they are discussing changes that previously would've been unthinkable, so to alleviate the mass incarceration that has been going on for decades. Along the way we are informed that Philly is the most incarcerated big city in the US, which of course is the most incarcerated country in the world. We then go to "April, 2017", where we learn that the previous D. A. has been indicted for corruption and hence it is now an open seat that attracts a lot of interest from across the spectrum. At this point we are 10 min. Into the opening episode...

Couple of comments: this is the latest project from co-directors Ted Passon and Yoni Brook. Going by the initial 2 episodes that I've seen so far, it looks very much like the production team was given unfettered access to Larry Krasner both before but more importantly also after his election. The latter is of course the key to this riveting documentary series. While Episode 1 focuses on the run up to and the immediate aftermath of the election, Episode 2 focuses on how and what Krasner and his team are going about to change the criminal justice system. But I do want to mention a memorable quote from the run up to the election. When the GOP candidate for D. A. says that "this is not a time for a social experiment", Krasner retorts: "The mass incarceration that has been going on for 30 years was a social experiment!". In Episode 2, tensions between the D. A.'s office and the Philadelphia Police Department immediately start running high, including the discovery of a list of "bad cops" which the previous D. A. willingly kept from the public... I can't wait to see how all of this is going to shake out in the remaining episodes.

"Philly D. A." premiered this week on PBS and the initial two episodes are now available on PBS On Demand. New episodes air on Tuesdays at 9 pm Eastern. If you have any interest in criminal justice issues or simply want to see a documentary that is nothing short of riveting and eye-opening on so many levels, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.