Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. is the 37th District Attorney elected in Manhattan. A son of Harlem who has served as both a state and federal prosecutor, Alvin has spent more than two decades fighting to make New York’s communities safer and criminal justice system fairer.
As District Attorney, Alvin restructured the Manhattan DA’s Office to focus more resources on prosecuting serious violent crimes. He made combatting gun violence through targeted enforcement and investments in prevention his top priority, resulting in a 40% drop in shootings his first two years in office.
Alvin created the Office’s first Special Victims Division with specially trained prosecutors and staff who handle these sensitive cases – including Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence, Child Abuse, and more – in a trauma-informed and survivor-centered manner. Deeply committed to the well-being of crime survivors and their families, Alvin created the Survivor Services Bureau, elevating and providing additional resources for the Office’s licensed therapists and counselors who provide free, high-quality services to hundreds of New Yorkers each year.
Perhaps the most significant change to the Office during Alvin’s first year was the creation of a new division, Pathways to Public Safety, to address recidivism and enhance public safety by elevating the Office’s use of programming and diversion, including mental health treatment. Specially trained Pathways Assistant D.A.s are embedded in each of the Office’s Trial Bureaus to screen and assess every case as early as possible.
Alvin created the Office’s first Worker Protection Unit, as well as the Office’s first Housing and Tenant Protection Unit, to prosecute unscrupulous companies and landlords that take advantage of hardworking New Yorkers. Alvin also expanded the Hate Crimes Unit with additional prosecutors, investigators, and community partnership coordinators, resulting in a record number of prosecutions and increased outreach to build trust and encourage reporting.
Immediately upon taking office, Alvin created a Post-Conviction Justice Unit to reinvestigate closed cases where there are credible claims of innocence or unjust conviction. He expanded the purview of the Police Accountability Unit, which he directly oversees.
Prior to becoming the District Attorney, Alvin served as an Assistant Attorney General at the New York State Attorney General’s Office and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In these roles, Alvin handled a wide array of criminal cases, including armed robbery, witness tampering, narcotics and gun trafficking, wage and hour violations, public corruption, and money laundering. He ended his service in the New York AG’s Office as the Chief Deputy Attorney General, overseeing the office’s criminal and civil investigations and litigation.
After his government service, Alvin was a Visiting Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Racial Justice Project at New York Law School. In that role, he represented Eric Garner’s mother and sister in a lawsuit against the City of New York.
Alvin earned his A.B. from Harvard University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and clerked for Hon. Robert P. Patterson, Jr. in the Southern District of New York. Alvin is a former member of the Board of Directors of the New York Urban League and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He is a Sunday School teacher at his church.