I will make sure the office continues to be responsive to victims, work hand in hand with local law enforcement, and always put the safety of this great county first.
I've been a prosecutor in Ward County for over 8 years. In that time I've developed strong relationships with local law enforcement, worked with victims for justice, and represented the people of this community in district court and in front of our state supreme court. I have the background and experience needed to successfully represent Ward County as State's Attorney.
The Ward County State's Attorney's Office has always worked hard to treat people with the dignity and respect they deserve. As State's Attorney, I will continue that tradition.
The State’s Attorney is vital in reducing recidivism by balancing accountability with rehabilitation.
Our State's Attorney's Office should be the best-trained, most efficient Office in the state, representing our community's values. That means continuing education, seminars and conferences, modernization and streamlining of internal processes, ensuring crime victims have a real voice, and case resolutions which accurately reflect our community values. It also means giving our local law enforcement the technological tools they need to cut through red tape and clear cases faster.
At its heart, this is an attorney job in the criminal justice system. I've practiced criminal law in Ward County for over fifteen years. During that time, I've been fortunate enough to establish incredible working relationships with prosecutors and law enforcement officers. The best experience anyone can have is working to find holistic case solutions that fix the reason that someone was arrested in the first place. I've been doing it for a decade and a half.
To me, in criminal justice, "Equal access to justice" means "find a solution that fixes the underlying problem." We must fight crime and the causes of crime, and that means not only punishing someone for their intentional acts, but also giving someone a second chance when they've earned it by helping themselves. It also means making sure victims have a meaningful voice in the process, because they're the ones upon whom crime has the greatest effect.
Although the ideal rate is 0%, the North Dakota 3-year recidivism rate for prisoners is only around 20%, significantly lower than the national average. If we want to get that rate even lower, we have to eliminate the conditions which make crime flourish. I will engage in community partnerships with local nonprofits, employers, churches, and other groups to help people find work, housing, and resources. People who feel like they "belong" are much less likely to commit crimes.
