Larry Krasner is the current district attorney of Philadelphia. He has held that position since 2018.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1961, but moved to Philadelphia with his family as a child. He graduated from Conestoga High School, and earned degrees from the University of Chicago and Stanford University Law School.
Before assuming the role of district attorney in Philadelphia, he worked for the Federal Public Defender’s Office and eventually opened his own practice, where he specialized in civil rights cases. In particular, he made his reputation on cases involving police brutality; over the course of his career, he sued the Philadelphia Police Department 75 times.
Krasner ran for district attorney of Philadelphia in 2017 on a platform of progressive criminal justice reform. He vowed to reduce incarceration rates in Philadelphia by ending criminal charges for marijuana possessions, ending cash bail for those facing misdemeanors and/or nonviolent felonies, and calling for more police accountability. You can read more about his campaign promises here, and see how well he kept them here.
You can read more about his background here. And, go here to watch Philly D.A., an eight-part Independent Lens documentary about Krasner’s first term.
Krasner was just re-elected for a second term. Late in his tenure, he has faced criticism for presiding over his office during a time of rising homicide rates. (We have a whole podcast about that.)
THE CITIZEN’S COVERAGE OF LARRY KRASNER
The Citizen has covered Larry Krasner extensively since he began his campaign for district attorney in 2017. We have published guest commentaries praising his work to disrupt the District Attorney’s Office; we’ve written pieces questioning his ability to create real criminal justice reform; and he’s even written op-eds on our site.
LARRY KRASNER’S RECORD AS DISTRICT ATTORNEY
- A well-reported Inquirer story about an exodus from the D.A.’s office and a PBS documentary series tell us who our district attorney really is—and why that’s hurting Philly
- Has Larry Krasner really reformed prosecution in Philadelphia?
- Larry Krasner is losing the battle against homicide. Will voters care?
- True reform has eluded Larry Krasner. Can the D.A. race change that?
- At nearly three years in. Is there any data to suggest the progressive experiment of D.A. Larry Krasner is or is not working?
LARRY KRASNER ON THE JOB
- A former assistant DA hired by Krasner on why can no longer support his former boss
- Larry Krasner. Phil Murphy. Donald Trump … Just how are politicians who have never done politics working out for us?
- The DA Larry Krasner’s Trump-like pugilism makes you wonder just who he can get along with in order to make Philly safer
- If everyone is so opposed to the city’s progressive district attorney, then why do his supporters keep winning elections?
- A D.A.-hosted art exhibition offers a moving look at the people impacted by, and impacting, our justice system
- We need more transformational thinking in our public life. It’s already happening when it comes to criminal justice reform
- The district attorney is at the forefront of a social justice movement among prosecutors. He may want to consider adding some humility to his game.
- A good government advocate applauds Larry Krasner for doing what he promised: disrupting the District Attorney’s Office
- Larry Krasner’s week one debacle was more about inexperience than ideology. Can he grow into the job?
- The DA’s first three months have revealed incompetency. But is there something more troubling at play?
LARRY KRASNER AND PHILLY CRIME
- The sniping and pettiness among Mayor Kenney, District Attorney Krasner and Council President Clarke advertises why they’re failing at curbing gun violence
- Larry Krasner is losing the battle against homicide. Do voters even care?
- People are being shot while the Mayor Jim Kenney and the D.A. Larry Krasner snipe at each other. Where are the leaders we need?
- While Mayor Kenney hides and Police Commissioner Richard Ross and DA Larry Krasner point fingers, the chalk outlines accumulate
- Philly’s gun violence is rising at an alarming rate. Are you paying attention, Larry Krasner?
LARRY KRASNER ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
- District attorney Krasner is facing a climbing homicide rate, pushback from the police and skepticism from the community. If he wins, can his platform survive?
- Fact-checking the D.A. debate between Larry Krasner and Carlos Vega
- The stakes of the D.A. primary could not be higher, writes Krasner
- Larry Krasner makes too many assumptions about Philly voters—perhaps to his peril
- With four months to go before election day, what lessons can the likely DA Larry Krasner learn now?
- A group of assault survivors argue that Larry Krasner is the DA candidate to best help crime victims
- A group of former assistant district attorneys urges Philadelphians to vote no on Larry Krasner