To the editor:
The current election for District Attorney is like a replay of the District Attorney election four years ago — the status quo vs. change: One candidate touts their decades of experience and the other presents detailed actions for change.
Mr. Shugrue appears conscientious but, in the forum hosted by the NAACP, had little to say beyond his decades of experience, that he treats every case differently, and that the courtroom was his “home.” District Attorney Harrington laid out quite explicitly what she has accomplished.
We have a broken legal system that neither keeps us safe nor serves up justice. It is a dehumanizing system that destroys individuals, families, and communities. It has been broken for decades (some would argue centuries). There is also plenty of evidence in support of more effective strategies for both public safety and justice — strategies in which individual humanity and dignity are safeguarded.
It is clear that District Attorney Harrington fully understands this and has worked with great persistence (and lots of resistance) to inch our local practices toward real public safety and justice. It is impressive that she has brought in criminal justice experts like Kristin Henning to provide professional development to her office and has explored and investigated what works in other places including beyond the U.S. There is much we all need to learn if we are to have safer communities, and those who serve us need to lead the way.
It is not clear that Mr. Shugrue even understands how broken the system really is. Therefore, his “Justice for All” slogan feels like empty words. And it is not clear that his learning goes beyond his day-to-day work—within a broken system—or that he can envision a legal system that would truly provide justice for all.
Andrea Harrington has proven herself to be a courageous and passionate leader with a clear vision for what a safe and just community could look like and strategies to get there. We need her leadership going forward if we are to see progress in moving toward true public safety and justice.
Rebecca Thompson
Pittsfield
