Race, Reform, and Recalls: The Movement Against “Progressive” Prosecutors

• In Event: Activism & Criminal Justice

Abstract

This study examines the movement against “progressive” prosecutors in the U.S. Prosecutors have significant discretion at the front-end of the criminal legal system, including over charging, bail recommendations, and plea deals. Although prosecutors have traditionally wielded their power in a way that contributes to mass incarceration and racial disparities, more recently a cohort of “progressive” prosecutors has been elected on platforms to mitigate the harms of the criminal legal system. While “progressive” prosecutors have been elected in growing numbers since 2016, countermovements have emerged to constrain their power and oust them from office outside of regularly-scheduled elections. This study examines these countermovements through an original database of all local prosecutors in office or elected in 2012 and 2022 in the country’s 300 largest jurisdictions where prosecutors are elected. Through archival research, I collected data on prosecutor demographics, state politics, and “unusual opposition,” which I define as organized efforts within the last decade to remove a prosecutor from office or constrain a prosecutor’s power outside of a regularly-scheduled election. Findings reveal “unusual opposition” disproportionately targets women of color, occurs in Republican-controlled states, has grown significantly over the last decade, and is framed under the guise of law, order, and public safety.

Author

• Allison Goldberg, University of Washington