Carli McNeill has been a prosecutor for over 13 years. In 2021, Carli was promoted to the position of Deputy District Attorney in the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office. As Deputy DA, Carli helps manage an office of approximately 40 employees. Carli has prosecuted every type of criminal case including Homicides, Sexual Assaults, Child and Elder Abuse, Domestic Violence, and crimes against businesses and property. Because of her dedication and expertise, Carli is one of the rare prosecutors in the State of Wisconsin to have been presented with two statewide awards by her peers for her work as a prosecutor. Being a District Attorney is a professional position. In this election, only Carli McNeill has the experience and qualifications to actually do the job. That's why Carli has the support of law enforcement and her fellow prosecutors. As DA, Carli intends to continue aggressively prosecuting crimes while also backing programs that encourage rehabilitation for offenders.
Making charging decisions (what cases to prosecute and which crimes to charge) is one of the most important responsibilities a DA's Office has. It takes experience and judgment to make these significant decisions. Prosecutors should follow the law and not charge cases unless the prosecutor believes that he/she can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. That means that a prosecutor must sometimes make the difficult decision not to charge a case. While those decisions are hard that is the only responsible way to wield prosecutorial power. When charging a case a prosecutor is not simply seeking a conviction. Prosecutors should be trying to accomplish one of the underlying goals of the criminal justice system such as deterrence, making victims whole, and protection of the public. When a prosecutor has those goals in mind while making charging decisions as well as the responsibility not to charge crimes the prosecutor can't prove, that is an appropriate use of discretion.
The reality of the criminal justice system in the United States is that it is based on plea agreements. The vast majority of criminal cases in the United States, in Wisconsin, and in Kenosha County are resolved by plea agreement. If plea agreements were to be eliminated or vastly reduced there would need to be far more judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. For instance, in Kenosha County we file over 4,000 criminal cases a year. All of those cases are handled by 4 judges assigned to criminal court. With those numbers, if most cases were not resolved by plea agreement, the system would grind to a halt. That being said, prosecutors need to be responsible in offering plea agreements with an emphasis on public safety and making sure dangerous and repeat offenders are held accountable. Prosecutors must be willing to take difficult cases to trial and not simply offer whatever plea agreement will resolve the case when public safety is at stake.
District Attorneys should seek creative solutions to encourage the rehabilitation of offenders. For example, in Kenosha we have a variety of diversion programs and a treatment court for individuals with drug addictions and mental health issues. Almost everyone who ends up in the criminal justice system is not facing a life sentence. What that means is that those people will return to the community. It benefits everyone when people going through the criminal justice system get access to treatment and other resources that help eliminate recidivism so that they can return to the community and their families as productive citizens. District Attorneys can and should be a part of those rehabilitative programs.
There are a lot of opportunities in the criminal justice system for more diversion programs, particularly in the area of mental health treatment. Right now, sadly, people are detoxing from drugs or experiencing mental health crises in our jails. There needs to be more and better options for people suffering from addiction and mental illness. As District Attorney, Carli is committed to working with community stakeholders to help address these gaps including by expanding diversion options.
Campaign Phone #
2626768779
I have been in private practice for 11 years serving Kenosha County doing primarily criminal law.
My standard is to follow the law. Also using common sense.
This will obviously depend on the type of criminal charges. My approach would be to protect the public and getting input from the victim/s. Reviewing the facts, evidence, prior record of the defendants. Any counseling or treatment the defendant participated in. Gathering information. Now is his an individual who made a dumb mistake or an individual who is a real danger to our community.
My role as district attorney is to protect the community and to make sure the law is followed as intended by our legislature.
As district attorney, I want to create a diversion program for our veterans, especially first time offenders. I have represented many of our veterans in the criminal justice system. Many of them were denied veterans court due to the fact that they didn’t have a prior criminal record. Many if them suffered of mental issues such as ptsd. One thing I common heard from their spouse or family is that they just needed treatment and the VA wasn’t helping them.
I also want to work with corporate counsel and address the needs of individuals especially teens and young adults who have autism that end up in the criminal justice system.
