PHILADELPHIA OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

What PHILADELPHIA OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY does

The Philadelphia Office of the District Attorney (Philly DAO) is the constitutionally authorized prosecutorial agency for the City of Philadelphia, operating under the City of Philadelphia government structure and led by an elected District Attorney (currently Larry Krasner, serving since January 2018 and sworn in for a second term on January 2, 2022). With more than 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff, it is the largest prosecutor's office in Pennsylvania and the third largest in the United States. Its functional mandate covers criminal prosecution across Philadelphia's court system, victim and witness advocacy, diversion and restorative justice programming, wrongful conviction review, and investigations of public corruption and police misconduct.

The office delivers services through a portfolio of approximately two dozen specialized units organized into core prosecutorial functions (Charging, Municipal Court, Pre-Trial, Major Trials, Law Division), reform-oriented units (Conviction Integrity Unit, Special Investigations, Diversion, Restorative Justice), specialized enforcement units (Gun Violence Task Force, Homicides & Non-Fatal Shootings, Economic & Property Crimes, Family Violence & Sexual Assault, Immigration Counsel, Elder Justice, Labor Crimes, Juvenile Justice, Mental Health), and victim/community support units (Victim Services, CARES Peer Crisis Responders). The DATA Lab serves as the analytics backbone, maintaining a public-facing transparency dashboard and supporting research and policy evaluation. The office has invested in data systems — the DATA Lab has helped secure over $10 million in grant funding for data systems improvement since 2018 — but the source material does not disclose any proprietary AI/ML technology stack.

The DAO is funded through city and state government budget appropriations supported by tax revenues; it does not generate commercial revenue and services are provided at no direct cost to Philadelphia residents. Key outcomes include an estimated 40,000 years of incarceration reduction between 2018 and 2023 versus the prior comparable period, an 88% conviction rate in trial-ready homicide cases in 2023, over $8 million in restitution awards from economic crime prosecutions over six years, and 35+ exonerations of wrongfully convicted individuals totaling more than 675 years of unjust imprisonment. The office is politically accountable through biennial elections and its strategic direction has shifted materially toward reform-oriented prosecution since 2018.

Name

PHILADELPHIA OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Legal name

Office of the District Attorney : City of Philadelphia

Website

https://phillyda.org/

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Philadelphia Office of the District Attorney is the largest prosecutor's office in Pennsylvania and third largest in the U.S., employing 600+ lawyers, detectives, and staff to prosecute crimes, serve victims, and run reform-oriented diversion and conviction integrity programs for Philadelphia's 1.5 million residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Criminal Prosecution Services

NAICS

Legal Counsel and Prosecution (92213), Legal Counsel and Prosecution (922130), Parole Offices and Probation Offices (922150)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Prosecution & District/State Attorney Services (BPAIAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

State/Provincial Corrections, Probation & Parole Administration (BPAIABAF)

Keywords

• Criminal prosecution
• Victim services
• Legal advocacy
• Public safety
• Criminal justice reform

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Funded through city and state government budgets, supported by tax revenues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Philadelphia Office of the District Attorney prosecutes criminal cases on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania throughout the City of Philadelphia, operating the largest prosecutor's office in Pennsylvania with more than 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The office delivers charging decisions, misdemeanor and felony trials, appellate litigation, diversion programs, conviction integrity reviews, victim and witness support, juvenile justice, gun violence prevention, and specialized prosecution of homicide, family violence, economic crimes, labor crimes, elder abuse, and immigration-related cases.

Product overview

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is a government prosecutor's office offering a portfolio of prosecutorial, investigative, and victim services organized into specialized units and divisions. The core prosecutorial function is delivered through units including Charging, Municipal Court, Pre-Trial, Major Trials, and Law Division. Reform-oriented units include the Conviction Integrity Unit, Special Investigations Unit, and Diversion Unit. Victim and community support is provided through the Victim Services Unit, CARES Peer Crisis Responders, and specialized units for Family Violence, Elder Justice, and Immigration. The office also operates the DATA Lab for transparency analytics, the Gun Violence Task Force, Juvenile Justice Division, and specialized units for Economic Crimes, Labor Crimes, and Restorative Justice. Together, these units pursue justice while advancing criminal justice reform goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Charging Unit Reviews all sight arrests and arrest warrants 24/7/365 to determine criminal charges and ensure cases are supported by probable cause before drafting criminal complaints, serving the Philadelphia criminal justice system.
• Municipal Court Unit Handles misdemeanor trials and preliminary hearings for felony charges in Philadelphia's First Judicial District, representing the majority of criminal cases in the city.
• Pre-Trial Unit Handles felony cases after preliminary hearings, making plea offers and diversion decisions to resolve cases efficiently and fairly.
• Major Trials Unit Prosecutes serious felony cases including gunpoint robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, attempted murder, and violations of the Uniform Firearms Act in the Court of Common Pleas.
• Law Division Handles appeals in various courts representing the Commonwealth, including Post Conviction Relief Act petitions, Federal Litigation, Civil Litigation, and Appellate matters.
• Alternatives to Prosecution & Incarceration / Diversion Unit Offers alternatives to traditional prosecution and incarceration for eligible defendants, connecting them to services addressing underlying issues like mental illness and substance use disorders.
• Conviction Integrity Unit

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced incarceration by 40,000 years between 2018-2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Anti-Violence Partnership of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partnership for the CARES (Crisis Assistance, Response and Engagement for Survivors) program providing peer crisis responders for homicide survivors. First partnership that led to the creation of the nation's first prosecutor-based homicide survivor support program.
• Philadelphia Medical Examiner's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CARES program providing comprehensive immediate safety net of advocacy and support services to survivors of homicide.
• Temple University Department of Criminal JusticemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted PCCD-funded process evaluation of the CARES initiative in its first two years of operation (2019-2020). Research found CARES responded to 93% of homicide incidents and served more than 620 co-victims.
• Drexel UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssisted Temple University researchers with evaluation of the CARES program, contributing to growing literature on peer counseling models for homicide survivors.
• HIAS PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal and social services for low-income and at-risk immigrants and refugees. Partner in immigration counsel initiatives to help immigrant victims of crimes secure U and T visas.
• JuntoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImmigrant rights advocacy organization that applauded the creation of the Immigration Counsel position. Partner in outreach to immigrant communities about navigating the criminal justice system.
• Nationalities Service CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides resources for newly arriving refugees, victims of human trafficking, and unaccompanied children. Partner in immigration support services.
• Welcoming Center for New PennsylvaniansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides employment assistance and skills training for new immigrants. Partner in supporting immigrant community integration.
• Philadelphia Enhanced Multidisciplinary Task Force (PEAMDT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of local government agencies and non-profit organizations chaired by the Elder Justice Unit to combat elder exploitation in Philadelphia. Includes CARIE, Penn Memory Center, PCA Older Adult Protective Services, SeniorLaw Center, and Philadelphia Police Department.
• Pennsylvania Attorney General's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partner in forming the Gun Violence Task Force in 2006 to investigate and prosecute crimes involving the illegal use of firearms.
• Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded the CARES program partnership with Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office.
• Pennsylvania Innocence ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the DA's Conviction Integrity Unit to help exonerate Chester Hollman III for the 1991 murder of a University of Pennsylvania student.
• EMIR Healing CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in providing services to homicide survivors through the CARES program network of survivor services.
• Mothers In Charge, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHomicide survivor organization partnered with the CARES program to provide coordinated crisis response services.
• Philadelphia Coalition for Victim AdvocacyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in providing comprehensive victim advocacy services and crisis response for homicide survivors.
• University of Pennsylvania ResearchersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with outside researchers to evaluate bail reform results, showing cash bail can be reformed without compromising public safety goals.
• Women Against AbusecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in family violence and sexual assault prosecution, providing legal center services and Shared Safety initiative for transforming Philadelphia's response to relational violence.
• WOAR - Philadelphia Center Against Sexual ViolencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in sexual assault prosecution and victim services, providing resources for survivors of sexual violence.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Manhattan District Attorney's Office: Large urban prosecutor's office pursuing comparable progressive-reform agenda (diversion, conviction integrity, alternatives to incarceration). Closest functional peer given scale, reform posture, and data-driven approach.
• Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office: Second-largest US prosecutor's office with comparable reform initiatives, Conviction Integrity Unit, and specialty divisions (hate crimes, labor, environmental). Directly comparable in structure and reform era.
• Cook County State's Attorney's Office: Chicago-area prosecutor with parallel reform focus, Conviction Integrity Unit, and data/analytics investments. Similar large-jurisdiction operating profile.
• San Francisco District Attorney's Office: Urban progressive prosecutor with comparable reform initiatives including diversion programs, mental health pathways, and hate crimes/immigration specialty units.
• Brooklyn District Attorney's Office: Large NYC borough prosecutor with parallel Conviction Integrity Unit, diversion programs, and specialty victim/witness services. Operates within similar reform-era framework.
• Harris County District Attorney's Office: Houston-area large prosecutor's office operating comparable specialty units, Conviction Integrity Unit, and post-conviction review function.

Broad incumbents

• Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office: State-level prosecutorial partner that co-runs the Gun Violence Task Force with Philadelphia DAO. Operates overlapping investigative jurisdiction but statewide scope.
• Philadelphia Defender Association: Philadelphia's public defender office - the institutional counterparty in the same municipal justice system. Comparable scale and reform orientation.

Others

• Vera Institute of Justice: National criminal justice reform nonprofit that partners with prosecutor offices on diversion, sentencing, and data analytics. Functions as an enabling/thematically related peer.
• Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA): National membership organization for elected prosecutors providing training, resources, and reform frameworks. Adjacent ecosystem player supporting offices like Philadelphia DAO.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/philadao
• Facebookfacebook.com/philaDAO
• Instagraminstagram.com/philadao
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/philadelphia-district-attorney

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PHILADELPHIA OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY