Darcel Clark

Darcel D. Clark
Bronx District Attorney
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2016
Preceded by	Robert T. Johnson
Personal details
Born	April 2, 1962 New York City, New York
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Detective Ray Davis
Residence	The Bronx, New York
Alma mater	Boston College (B.A.) Howard University (J.D.)
Religion	Christian

Darcel D. Clark (born April 2, 1962) is a New York attorney and prosecutor who currently serves as the Bronx District Attorney, serving since 2016. Clark is the first female to hold the role of Bronx District Attorney, and the first female of color to serve as a District Attorney in the history of the State of New York.^[1]

A former judge, Clark formerly served on New York City Criminal Court and subsequently on the Bronx County Supreme Court and New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division.

Early life

Clark is a native of the Bronx. In her early life she resided in the Soundview Houses in the South Bronx. Her parents, Daniel and Viola, were both community-oriented people. Her father, a grounds supervisor, worked hard to provide for the family. Her mother, a nurse, was a member of the Tenant Patrol, which was formed in 1975, to keep neighbors and their children safe.^[2] She attended New York City Public Schools and graduated from Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx. Clark became the first of her family to attend college.^[2]

She attended Boston College, graduating in 1983 with a Bachelor's of Arts. She would then go on to attend law school at Howard University, graduating in 1986.^[2]

Clark is married to First Grade Detective Eaton "Ray" Davis, a 32-year veteran of the New York City Police Department and graduate of John Jay College of the City University of New York. They are members of Thessalonia Worship Center in the South Bronx and reside in the Wakefield section of the Bronx.^[3]

Early career and member of the judiciary

Following law school, Clark returned to the Bronx, where she was hired on as a assistant district attorney for then-Bronx District Attorney Mario Merola, and later under her immediate predecessor, Robert Johnson. Clark would serve as Supervisor of the Narcotics Bureau from 1993 to 1997 and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Court bureau from 1997 to 1999.^[4]

In 1999, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani would appoint Clark as a Judge for the Criminal Court for the City of New York, where she would serve for seven years. In 2006, Clark was elected to the Supreme Court in Bronx County, where she would serve until Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed her to serve as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division First Department of the New York State Supreme Court in November 2012.^[5]

Bronx District Attorney

In 2015, Clark decided to step down from the bench to seek election as the Bronx District Attorney, following District Attorney Johnson's decision to step down following the primary election to seek a judgeship. This sparked controversy, as much of the press perceived Johnson's decision as orchestrated by the Bronx Democratic Party to avoid a primary.^[6] Regardless, Clark easily defeated her Republican opponent, Robert Siano in the November general election, garnering 86.64% of the vote.^[7]

As District Attorney, Clark has vowed to implement reforms to address wrongful conviction, administrative backlogs and problems surrounding Rikers Island, among others.^[8]

In March of 2016, Clark faced criticism over an initial decision to bring felony charges against a woman, Candie Hailie, for breaking a chair while imprisoned at Rikers Island. Hailie spent three years at Rikers, and two of those years were spent in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is considered a form of torture by the United Nations and the UN has called for banning it in most cases.^[9] Hailie was acquitted by a jury and released in the spring of 2015. Near the end of March, Judge William Mogulescu in the Bronx brokered a deal where, Hailey, 32, agreed to plead guilty to four counts of disorderly conduct, a noncriminal violation, in exchange for prosecutors dismissing a felony and three misdemeanors related to Hailie's tumultuous time behind bars. ^[10] This particular case was reported on by multiple news agencies, and it was claimed that Clark's decisions in this case were at odds with her campaign promises when she ran for the Office of the District Attorney for the Bronx.^[11]

References

1. "Darcel Clark makes history as first African-American woman elected DA in New York State". Amsterdam News. 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
2. "Giving Up the Bench in Hopes of Bringing Justice to the Bronx". New York Times. 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
3. "Likely Bronx DA Has Plans". Wall Street Journal. 2015-10-27. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
4. "'Daughter of the Bronx' Sketches Priorities for DA's Office". New York Law Journal. 2015-10-14. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
5. "Darcel Clark Becomes First Female DA in History of Bronx". NY1. 2015-11-03. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
6. "Bronx District Attorney Candidate Defends Her Nomination by Democratic Leaders". New York Times. 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
7. "Darcel Clark declared winner in Bronx DA race". News 12 The Bronx. 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
8. "DA Hopeful Darcel Clark Vows to Speed Up Office With CompStat-Style System". DNAinfo. 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
9. "Solitary confinement should be banned in most cases, UN expert says". United Nations News Centre. United Nations. October 18, 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
10. Pearson, Jake; Lynch, Alex. "Freed after years in solitary, woman faces jailhouse charges". Associated Press. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
11. Cush, Andy. "Woman Could Go to Jail for Something She Did While in Jail for Something She Didn't Do". Gawker. Retrieved 22 March 2016.

External links

• Office of the Bronx District Attorney
• Darcel Clark for Bronx District Attorney