Miscellaneous
While not often understood by most Americans, prosecutors at the local, state, and federal level have immense power in our judicial system. Effectively, they can choose to pursue the maximum sentence against an alleged criminal (within the legal guidelines), or, they can choose to be lenient and opt for the minimum. The decisions made at the prosecutorial level can change someone's life forever. In practice, it's quite literally the difference between an addict being sent to rehab, or being convicted of a felony, sent to prison, and sentences to an endless cycle of recidivism through the prison system; the difference between a second chance, or a life sentence. There is tremendous leeway in how criminal cases can proceed, and ultimately, it's up to the prosector to decide. Jami Hodge, Director of Vera Institute for Justice's Reshaping Prosecution program, joined the Millennial Politics Podcast to dig deeper into their work of ending mass incarceration through progressive prosecution methods. Hodge, with a JD from Duke University and having served as a former Assistant US Attorney, Senior Advisor in Obama's Department of Justice, and Advisor on Criminal Justice and Legal Policy for Vice President Biden, brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. As the Director of the Prosecution Reform Program, Jami and her team work with elected prosecutors to end mass incarceration, address racial disparities, and to make their offices more accountable to the communities they serve. Listen to our conversation, and please feel free to continue the conversation with us on Twitter @MillenPolitics.