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The Progressive Prosecutor Pt. 3: The Hall Of Justice

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Some people incarcerated in San Francisco were once housed at the Hall of Justice on 850 Bryant Street in County Jail No. 4 .

In his first few months in office, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin moved quickly and decisively. He eliminated money bail and ended gang enhancements, all as part of a bigger pledge to reduce the county’s incarcerated population and shut down an entire jail. In this installment of The Progressive Prosecutor, we find out what happened to those plans after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

"We simply don't have the capacity in this moment with courtrooms shutting down, with members of various law enforcement agencies getting sick, with lawyers working from home ... to prosecute all the cases that we were used to prosecuting."

Click the play button above to listen to this story.

"The Progressive Prosecutor" is a series looking at San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin's first year in office. Find the rest of the stories in the series here.

This story was co-reported by Christopher Egusa with help from Alice Woelfle 

Chris is a graduate of KALW’s Audio Academy class of 2020. He is currently an Editor-Producer for KQED Podcasts and a freelance reporter. His reporting focuses on disability, mental health, and healthcare inequities, and has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Public Media Journalists Association, and the San Francisco Press Club.