A voice from the inside: District Attorney’s office past and present
Jerome Coffey has been wrongly incarcerated for 28 years. He is an exceptional Pro-Se litigator, that is, representing himself in legal actions. He filed and won a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections and a civil suit. In both these cases, he successfully defended himself. His next Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) hearing is April 9. Miller conducted the following interview with him in February.
Jerome Coffey
Cindy Miller: On April 9, 2021, Attorney Martha Conley is submitting your initial PCRA application to Judge Bronson? Why is this your first challenge in 27 years?
WHYY
By
Emily RizzoApril 5, 2021
Philadelphia schools Superintendent William Hite calls for equitable school funding during a press conference at Martin Luther King High School. He was joined by District Attorney Larry Krasner, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, State Senator Vincent Hughes and other officials calling for the adoption of Gov. Tom Wolf s proposed fair school funding formula. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner says Gov. Tom Wolf’s latest education funding proposal amounts to “the kind of anti-crime legislation that works.”
Krasner joined an array of state and local Democrats who rallied outside Martin Luther King High School in support of Wolf’s plans for a massive education funding increase.
Krasnerâs stance on Mumia wonât cost him re-election, but it will stain.
Krasnerâs stance on Mumia wonât cost him re-election, but it will stain his reputation as a reformer
April 1, 2021
by Linn Washington Jr. and Dave Lindorff
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner deserves credit for ending the wrongful incarcerations of nearly 20 people. Krasner did what many of his predecessors did not: fulfill the legal and ethical duty of a district attorney to seek justice. Those wrongful convictions, which resulted largely from misconduct by police and prosecutors, produced decades-long prison sentences, including time on death row.
However, Krasner warrants criticism for his stance to sustain the conviction of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the journalist and activist who was convicted for the Dec. 9, 1981, murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Itâs a contentious murder case thatâs rife with misconduct by police and prosecutors.
The off-duty officers allegedly told the victim they were part of a town watch.
The victim allegedly was shoved into a wall and had his face slammed into a pillar. He also hit his head on the ground when he were forced down by James Smith, police said.
Prosecutors said the victim s injuries included a black eye and abrasions on the back of his head, elbows and knees.
Before the alleged assault occurred, prosecutors said the victim called his mother, who said she heard a voice say, Hold his legs, before the call abruptly ended.
The victim s mother used a cellphone app to track the location of her son at the shopping center. When the victim s father arrived, the Smith brothers again allegedly identified themselves as town watch.