Hey everyone, today's show is the second part of a series.

We started just yesterday with an episode we called The Ferguson Effect.

If you haven't had a chance to listen to that one, you might like today's story even

better if you go back and check it out.

Either way, here we go.

It's hard to paint with a broad brush because everyone has such differing opinions on everything

that's happening here.

This bomber works at the Philadelphia Inquirer where he covers criminal justice.

He talked to me from the middle of his newsroom.

You know what I mean?

Even within the system itself.

Which makes it really fun to cover.

But also challenging in the way of offering sweeping observations for a podcast that could

be listened to by any of those people who have a different opinion.

I called him up because I wanted him to explain just how quickly Philadelphia's approach

to criminal justice is changing.

He is a reporter's reporter.

It doesn't like to say more than he knows.

What we do know is that in 2018, prosecutors filed 18% fewer cases than in 2017.

If you look back even further, like five years ago, Philadelphia prosecutors today, they're

filing half as many cases.

This isn't because crime has plummeted.

...