At a meeting of South Central Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO earlier this week, I spoke about a few of the changes we need and changes I'll make if elected to be the next Polk County Attorney.
For example - my office will not be charging people for low level drug possession.
At the union meeting I said, "We can't incarcerate our way out of addiction."
There is no meaningful relationship between incarceration rates and drug use.
Addiction must be treated as a public health issue, not a criminal issue. We need resources and proper funding for diversion and treatment.
Working in the Polk County Recovery Court program for the past 4 years, I’ve seen parents ready to start working for a life in recovery, but unable to get into a treatment program, especially inpatient treatment, due to a lack of available beds.
As Polk County Attorney, I will lobby for more treatment facilities and for the use of harm reduction strategies.
Polk County, Iowa deserves a County Attorney that sees every person as a human being, deserving of dignity, respect, support and life in recovery. Addiction is a beast and it touches so many of us and those we love. No one is disposable.
