Prosecutorial Discretion with SA Kim Foxx

06/23/20 • 57 min

In this episode, DA Boudin and Rachel explore the role of prosecutorial discretion in the criminal justice system with one of the most well known progressive prosecutors in the country: Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. They discuss the power of the prosecutor to determine when to use their discretion to choose not to file charges, as well as when to decide to file charges. Drawing on specific examples, SA Foxx speaks candidly about her thinking around how to approach the immense power of prosecutors. She also explains why she decided to be the first prosecutor in the country to make felony case data available to the public and how that decision links to her role as a progressive prosecutor. SA Foxx talks about specific decisions she has made in exercising her discretion in high-profile cases and explains her thinking about how to prioritize limited resources to advance public safety. SA Foxx and DA Boudin also discuss their responses to the COVID-19 crisis and other ways in which prosecutorial discretion plays out in their work.

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BONUS: The Modern Civil Rights Movement with Angela Davis

In this special BONUS episode, DA Boudin, Rachel, and special guest, the iconic Professor Angela Davis, build on the conversation from last episode and focus on the movement that the death of George Floyd has spawned. Professor Davis explains the significance of this moment in the context of the broader Civil Rights Movement. Professor Davis also discusses the role of intersectionality in past and present movements for justice. The group also explores the commonalities between abolition and the current movement to defund police, as well as the limitations but also the possibilities of reforms to the justice system.

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The Personal is Political: One on One with DA Boudin and Rachel

In this deeply personal episode, DA Boudin and Rachel share their own journeys towards criminal justice reform. DA Boudin describes the story of his parents’ participation in a crime that led to their incarceration for his entire childhood and explains how it tied into his career as a public defender and then to his election as the District Attorney of San Francisco. Rachel also shares her path towards and her motivations for working in criminal justice reform, first as a public defender and now for DA Boudin. The two also explore what the concept of progressive prosecutors means to each of them and their hopes for Chasing Justice.