{"id":32874,"date":"2022-06-17T17:32:27","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T17:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=32874"},"modified":"2022-06-17T17:32:27","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T17:32:27","slug":"opinion-primary-endorsement-for-montgomery-county-states-attorney-john-mccarthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/17\/opinion-primary-endorsement-for-montgomery-county-states-attorney-john-mccarthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion | Primary endorsement for Montgomery County State\u2019s Attorney: John McCarthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of Maryland\u2019s most experienced and respected prosecutors, Montgomery County State\u2019s Attorney John McCarthy<\/b>, is running for reelection in the July 19 Democratic primary. His outstanding performance in the office he has held since 2007 <\/b>\u2014 a record that has cemented his reputation as a energetic, thoughtful criminal justice reformer \u2014 is ample reason for county voters to support him. We endorse Mr. McCarthy<\/a> for a fifth four-year term.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The winner of the primary will face no Republican opponent in the heavily Democratic county. As for Mr. McCarthy\u2019s three primary rivals, all are progressives who favor reforms that would divert from incarceration of nonviolent and youthful offenders, drug users, and those suffering from mental health problems. All would lean into crime prevention, community outreach and racial equity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Their dilemma is that Mr. McCarthy\u2019s own achievements along those lines are impressive. His challengers say they would do more, or go faster, but struggle to explain how. And while each has experience as a prosecutor, none offers a track record or breadth of expertise remotely approaching Mr. McCarthy\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At 70, he remains vigorous and proactive after four decades as a prosecutor, despite a battle with cancer a few years ago. As head of an office<\/a> of roughly 150 people, half of them prosecutors, he has pioneered or dramatically expanded initiatives<\/a> to give certain offenders \u2014 especially those who tend to pose little threat to others \u2014 a chance to right their lives. During his tenure, the number of inmates in the county jail has dropped<\/a> by about one-quarter, even as Montgomery\u2019s population has climbed by more than 10 percent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. McCarthy\u2019s initiatives include starting a mental health court<\/a>, despite pushback from the judiciary, which has enabled struggling offenders<\/a> to get the help they need instead of sitting behind bars. He has championed a court for drug offenses that has provided a pathway for hundreds of users to get back on their feet through intensive, long-term treatment. Through community service programs expanded under his watch, thousands of other offenders are diverted from incarceration annually. In addition, he launched and vastly expanded a program in middle schools to tackle truancy before it becomes an ingrained habit for preteens and younger adolescents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. McCarthy also commissioned a sweeping study of his office by outside experts \u2014 a project many elected prosecutors would vehemently resist \u2014 to identify and address racial equity in criminal justice. He has pledged to make the findings public when they are available next year, and post them online going forward, which is evidence of his commitment to transparency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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None of his opponents match his stature. Among them, Perry Paylor<\/a>, a deputy state\u2019s attorney in Prince George\u2019s County, is qualified on paper but vague about how he would do the job. Tom DeGonia,<\/a> a former Montgomery felony prosecutor, is capable; however, little seems to distinguish his agenda from programs Mr. McCarthy has already developed. Bernice Mireku-North<\/a> co-chaired<\/a> a county criminal justice reform study<\/a> that recommended, among other things, lessening the police presence in some of Montgomery\u2019s highest crime areas, a poor idea. A former prosecutor in Anne Arundel County, she is promising but has never handled major felonies and lacks the experience to run an office of Montgomery\u2019s size and scope.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. McCarthy deserves reelection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n