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from The Ripon Forum
Volume 56, No. 2
May 2022
https://riponsociety.org/article/prosecutors-must-put-victims-first/
Prosecutors Must Put Victims First
by JASON MIYARES
Public safety is a bipartisan issue and shouldn’t be controversial. Every Virginian — every American — wants to feel safe in their home, walking to their car, and living in their community.
Yet there are those who vocally turn their backs on law enforcement and reject programs that are proven to reduce crime. Some local, far-left, liberal prosecutors refuse to enforce the law and intentionally are soft on crime in the name of “social justice and equity.”
It might seem obvious, but in order to reduce crime, we also need to get the violent criminals actually committing the crimes behind bars. This is why our locally elected prosecutors are so important to public safety. But there are some locally elected prosecutors who are choosing not to prosecute groups of crimes, selectively choosing pieces of the law to enforce and pieces to ignore.
This warped version of criminal justice has created a public safety crisis. In order to fix it, law enforcement, community leaders, government officials, and prosecutors must work together.
This “criminal first, victim last” mindset only leads to more crime, more victims, and less safety for our families.
There are some locally elected prosecutors who are choosing not to prosecute groups of crimes, selectively choosing pieces of the law to enforce and pieces to ignore.
The first step in addressing Virginia’s decades high murder rate is to listen, learn, and apply proven solutions to our crime crisis. As Attorney General, I’m meeting with law enforcement officials in every corner of the Commonwealth to learn about their needs and community- specific struggles. We’re creating innovative new programs to encourage collaboration between local, state, and federal law enforcement partners and community leaders to address the crime surge in our local communities.
There is a limit to what my office can do on our own. At the legislative level, elected officials need to create laws that will crack down on violent crime and repeat offenders, and allow, rather than hinder, law enforcement officials to do their jobs. They need to support the law enforcement officials who risk their lives every day, rather than shouting to defund and vilify them.
Activism at the community level is incredibly important to reducing crime as well. A big part of the Office of the Attorney General is organizing and funding programs in partnership with community leaders that are designed to prevent and reduce gun and gang violence. These programs steer at-risk youth away from a life of crime and help identify the bad actors.
One of our challenges is radical, liberal, elites who are bankrolling the campaigns of these far-left, weak on crime, activist district attorneys nationwide. A new report from Capital Research revealed that nearly $30 million has been spent backing these radical district attorney candidates in over 20 different communities.
These prosecutors are sending a message to criminals that there is no consequence for breaking the law. It should be no surprise that consequently, crime increases. The Council on Criminal Justice found that in 2021, murders increased in every major city in the U.S.
The idea that being lenient on violent criminals will create a more just society is both naive and counterintuitive. Eliminating criminal justice is not criminal justice reform.
The idea that being lenient on violent criminals will create a more just society is both naive and counterintuitive. Eliminating criminal justice is not criminal justice reform.
The great irony is that the vast majority of the liberal elites bankrolling this soft-on-crime agenda live in wealthy, gated neighborhoods and will never experience the consequences of their advocacy. The victims of this agenda are the poor, the working class, and the marginalized.
In Fairfax, Virginia, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Steve Descano, has stopped prosecuting more than 20 different types of crimes. Since his election, the murder rate in Fairfax County has doubled. The alleged serial killer responsible for the murder and attempted murders of multiple homeless men in D.C. and New York City was previously arrested in Fairfax County. Steve Descano agreed to lower his sentence and returned him to the streets.
A recent interview with Fox 5 revealed additional problems in Descano’s office. One attorney who has since resigned admitted to making “numerous mistakes and missteps due to a lack of experience … and being completely overwhelmed,” on sex crimes cases.
Effective public safety relies on prosecutors putting bad actors behind bars. Liberal prosecutors like Descano who lower felonies to misdemeanors at every possible chance are creating a ‘revolving door’ allowing criminals back to the streets and leaving law enforcement overwhelmed.
Having locally elected prosecutors who are committed to enforcing the law, calling balls and strikes, and putting victims first, rather than criminals, is essential to restoring public safety in our communities. That’s why I’m proud to be the Honorary Chairman of the Protecting Americans Action Fund, a group that will work to elect district attorneys who believe that our judicial system should be consistent and impartial.
We will work to not only restore accountability in the judicial process, but faith that prosecutors will enforce the law and do the jobs they were elected to do.
Jason Miyares is the 48th Attorney General of Virginia. He is the first Hispanic to be elected statewide in Virginia, and the first son of an immigrant to be Attorney General.
SOURCE: https://riponsociety.org/article/prosecutors-must-put-victims-first/
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