Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Government prosecutors wield a remarkable amount of power—namely, the (often unilateral) choice of whether or not to litigate charges brought to them by law enforcement. In recent years, candidates for these elected positions have secured voter support across the country by pulling back the curtain on their own policy discretion and making a point of offering alternatives to incarceration.
In Virginia, there are 120 Commonwealth’s Attorneys prosecuting cases on behalf of the State. Twelve of them (who represent 43% of Virginia’s population) formed an advocacy group this summer—the Virginia Progressive Prosecutors for Justice—who in an inaugural statement on July 13, 2020, suggested policy reforms including a repeal of mandatory minimum sentences and new opportunities for expungement.
Tune in as three members of this new coalition describe the landscape wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the challenges they will face on the road to justice. Miriam Krinsky, Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution (an organization and resource for newly elected prosecutors seeking a smarter and more equitable justice system) will guide the conversation with expertise and insight from fifteen years as a federal prosecutor.
Government prosecutors wield a remarkable amount of power—namely, the (often unilateral) choice of whether or not to litigate charges brought to them by law enforcement. In recent years, candidates for these elected positions have secured voter support across the country by pulling back the curtain on their own policy discretion and making a point of offering alternatives to incarceration.
In Virginia, there are 120 Commonwealth’s Attorneys prosecuting cases on behalf of the State. Twelve of them (who represent 43% of Virginia’s population) formed an advocacy group this summer—the Virginia Progressive Prosecutors for Justice—who in an inaugural statement on July 13, 2020, suggested policy reforms including a repeal of mandatory minimum sentences and new opportunities for expungement.
Tune in as three members of this new coalition describe the landscape wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the challenges they will face on the road to justice. Miriam Krinsky, Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution (an organization and resource for newly elected prosecutors seeking a smarter and more equitable justice system) will guide the conversation with expertise and insight from fifteen years as a federal prosecutor.
