District Attorneys (DAs) are some of the most powerful people in the criminal justice system. They make key decisions in criminal cases that affect who gets charged, what they get charged with, and what sentence they get.
Beyond making decisions in individual cases, their attitudes toward criminal justice policy set the tone for how our communities respond to societal issues.
DAs are elected officials, so they answer to the public. If you care about criminal justice reform, you should care who gets elected DA.
This year, there are five candidates in the Cumberland County DA race, and there will be a Democratic primary election on June 12.
Join us on May 24 to hear from the candidates and find out where they fall on key criminal justice issues.
Panelists including Oami Amarsingham (ACLU), Greg Kesich (Portland Press Herald) and Thea Johnson (Maine Law) will ask the candidates questions on a range of issues including transparency and accountability, youth justice, equal treatment under the law, mass incarceration and the war on drugs.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., event starts at 6:30.
**The ACLU of Maine is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates.***
