In her letter to the editor, Megan Whilden writes: “Changing the trajectory of criminal justice in Berkshire County will have a life or death affect on the school-to-prison pipeline in Berkshire County.”
In her letter to the editor Alisa Costa writes: "Berkshire County has the lowest rate of prosecution of these crimes [domestic violence and sexual assault] in the state and the highest rate in the state."
In her letter Catharyn Tivy writes: "As a certified mediation and negotiation specialist, Judith Knight has the skills we will need moving forward in order to find common ground on polarizing issues."
In her letter to the editor Sheela Clary writes: "I have seen how poor kids get screwed by our legal system. As she climbs the steep learning curve of managing a DA's office, Andrea Harrington will have those kids in mind."
Andrea's plans for reforming the district attorney's office reflect the changes in the criminal justice system that many people, especially people of color, are seeking at the local level.
Berkshire County's per capita restraining orders are 37 percent higher than the state average, and approximately one in three homicides are domestic violence homicides.
Andrea Harrington has made the need for a philosophical change and establishing procedures and policies to deal with issues before they become criminal at the center of her campaign.
Rabbi Hirsch announced that Mr. Caccaviello had a prior engagement and was not able to attend and that an invitation to send a representative from his campaign was declined.
It bothers me, and should bother those who want change for the better in the DA’s office, that the only candidate under attack is Andrea Harrington, both by Caccaviello and Knight.
We continue to read the deaths of our children, relatives, friends and neighbors from the drug epedimic, escalating gun violence, and domestic violence and sexual assault at alarming rates.
A Lee resident, Knight has, since 2006, been in private practice in Great Barrington. About 80 percent of her practice has been in criminal defense, with most of the remainder of her practice in mediation.
Set to take place one week before the Sept. 4 primary election, the debate will feature Berkshire County District Attorney Paul Caccaviello, Andrea Harrington and Judith Knight moderated by WAMC president and CEO Alan Chartock, WAMC’s Berkshire bureau chief Josh Landes and WAMC news director Ian Pickus.
In his letter to the editor Jon Piasecki writes: "Our District Attorney's office suffers from a dynasty of entitlement, bad direction and even corruption."
