Issues

 We must address the biases in our justice system. Amy will make sure that all offenders, victims, and witnesses are treated fairly regardless of their race, national origin, religion, income, and gender.

No matter what happens in Washington D.C., Colorado law protects a women’s right to choose and ensures LGBTQ rights and other fundamental liberties, regardless of where people are from, what they look like, or who they love. Amy will ensure that people can exercise those rights in our Arapahoe County by taking threats, intimidation, and hate crimes cases very seriously, prosecuting them to the fullest extent.

Amy is committed to welcoming new community members and ensuring they receive equal protection under the law. By making sure immigrants feel safe in the courts, are provided with interpreter services, and are kept fully aware of judicial processes, Judicial District 18 can remain the vibrant, diverse community we all know and love.

Diversion, problem solving courts, and restorative justice programs have proven to be effective in rehabilitation of offenders and helping them get back on the right track. Moreover, we can stop the revolving door of the school to prison pipeline, while at the same time ensuring that justice is done and rehabilitation is effective. By expanding diversion programs for first-time offenders, offenders who need mental health or drug and alcohol treatment, veterans, and juveniles, Amy will ensure that our streets are safer and that offenders will have the opportunity to receive the help they need to rehabilitate and become contributing members of our community.

It is not the job of the District Attorney or local law enforcement to do ICE’s job for them. As District Attorney, Amy will ensure that all offenders, regardless of immigration status, are treated fairly in the judicial system. By making sure that ICE’s actions are separate from the District Attorney’s office, we can make sure that all people, regardless of where they were born, feel safe calling the police and in our courthouses. Being a victim of a crime or a testifying witness should not make anyone fear deportation, and Amy will make sure that everyone is safe to come forward about crimes they have experienced or witnessed.

The District Attorney works to fairly enforce the laws, get justice for victims, and rehabilitate offenders. When incarceration becomes a for-profit industry, these goals are not accomplished by our criminal justice system. Amy knows that for-profit incarceration has no place in our judicial system and will fight to end the use of private prisons in Colorado.

Violent crimes make everyone less safe. We need a District Attorney who understands that our priorities must be to target these offenders and ensure they will not harm our community again. By shifting the office’s resources to focus on violent crime, Amy will ensure that those who commit violent crimes receive full and proper consequences for their actions.

People convicted of violent crimes and domestic violence lose their right to have access to guns. Amy supports responsible firearm ownership and will ensure that anyone who breaks our laws regarding gun ownership will face harsh penalties. Making sure that violent felons and domestic abusers do not have access to guns will make our streets safer, protect victims, and reduce violent crime.

As District Attorney, Amy will make sure that victims are at the core of decisions about sentencing, that they have access to crucial resources to recover from the harm inflicted, and that their safety and security is a priority for the office. Having been the victim of a crime herself (when a maximum security inmate threatened to assault and murder her), Amy knows that expanding victim and witness protection services and prioritizing resources for those recovering from the impacts of violent crimes, are critical to ensuring justice is truly done in each case.

The 18th Judicial District is the most diverse district in the state. We know that traditional policing and prosecution practices -- such as profiling, stop and frisk, and mandatory minimums -- disproportionately affect people of color. We need a DA who will end these practices, work to address implicit bias, hold police accountable, and fight antiquated laws and policies (like citizens arrest statutes). Amy supports the use of an outside prosecutor, such as the creation of a specialized unit within the Attorney General’s office, in cases of serious police misconduct to avoid conflicts, ensure uniform standards across the state, and deliver justice to victims and their families.

We need a DA who is unafraid to take hard looks at prosecution data (e.g., charging decisions, plea offers, sentencing recommendations) and share the results. This includes having a conviction integrity unit that is not solely comprised of unpaid volunteers and that is not limited to claims of “actual innocence,” as is the case currently in the 18th JD. The 18th JD’s conviction integrity unit has not found a single instance of an improper conviction. Amy supports the use of an outside consultant to review prosecution data as has been done in other jurisdictions, as well as having a conviction integrity unit with paid staff that will examine claims of constitutional violations and disproportionate sentences, rather than just “actual innocence”.

Amy knows, as do many, that a negative relationship with Law Enforcement begins at a young age for some children of certain marginalized communities. Restorative justice practices and diversion with children and teens are of the utmost importance. As District Attorney, Amy will make sure her office is a responsible servant to the community across all ages. When children or young adults commit crimes, society needs to step up and help them get their lives on track. Juvenile diversion can alter the trajectory of a young person’s life in a positive direction. Amy is also opposed to the pervasive practice of charging children as adults in the 18th JD. Amy believes that practice is needed, and should only be used, in the most extreme cases, not as a default.