In the United States, a district attorney ( DA ), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state.
The geographical jurisdiction of a district attorney may be delineated by the boundaries of a county, judicial circuit, or judicial district. Their duties generally include charging crimes through informations and/or grand jury indictments.
This term for a prosecutor originates with the traditional use of the term "district" for multi-county prosecutorial jurisdictions in several U.S. states. For example, New York appointed prosecutors to multi-county districts prior to 1813.
For example, in Arizona, Missouri, Montana, and Minnesota a county attorney represents the county and state within their county, prosecutes all felonies occurring within the county, and prosecutes misdemeanors occurring within unincorporated areas of the county.
In Ohio a county prosecutor represents the county and state within their county, prosecutes all crimes within the county, and is legal adviser to the board of county commissioners, board of elections, and all other county officers and boards.
In carrying out their duties, prosecutors have the authority to investigate persons, grant immunity to witnesses and accused criminals, and plea bargain with defendants. A district attorney leads a staff of prosecutors, who are most commonly known as deputy district attorneys (DDAs).
After levying criminal charges, the state's attorney will then prosecute those charged with a crime . This includes conducting discovery, plea bargaining, and trial . In some jurisdictions, the district attorney may act as chief counsel for city police, county police, state police and all state law enforcement agencies within ...
Office of the District Attorney. In New York, each county has an office of the District Attorney, wherein the state will prosecute primarily criminal actions. However, civil actions can also be prosecuted, particularly in conjunction with child protection services. The District Attorney, or D.A.
The District Attorney, or D.A. prosecutes only violations of state law – violations of Federal law are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office. It is a public office, beholden to the public and its will. It is not a private law firm. It is run with taxpayer money, and the attorneys who work at the D.A.’s office work for the state, ...
That means that every few years, many of the employees within the D.A.’s office can be replaced, which ensures that corruption or bad practices do not become embedded within the offices.
This was to ensure the independence of the D.A.’s office so that legislatures cannot limit the ability of prosecutors to prosecute crimes. Elections are one of the most effective forms of accountability for prosecutors. This is because they are typically rarely sanctioned or disbarred by the State legal community for prosecutorial misconduct.
It is not a private law firm. It is run with taxpayer money, and the attorneys who work at the D.A.’s office work for the state, rather than any private individual.
Most D.A. offices have investigators to gather the evidence required to bring a strong enough case to trial. However, the vast majority of cases do not proceed to trial. The D.A. will determine whether or not to offer or accept certain plea bargains.
If they are found to have committed misconduct, the taxpayers are on the hook for the payment – individual prosecutors will not have to pay out a settlement. The office of the D.A. can investigate crimes with or without local law enforcement. Usually, police officers are the ones to find the criminals and make an arrest.