Support for justice system funding

I write to sincerely thank the voters of Centre County for placing me on both the Democratic and Republican tickets during this year’s primary election. Your votes have given me the ability to begin the work of reform and transition necessary for the District Attorney’s Office.

Budgets are currently being proposed in Washington that will make it difficult for the justice system to deliver for Centre County. Much of the funding for drug addiction treatment comes through Medicaid. The magnitude of the cuts being discussed in Washington will make it impossible for Pennsylvania to address this growing crisis. This will be one of the biggest challenges facing our new drug court as it tackles the opioid abuse crisis.

Currently, Pennsylvania faces a budget deficit and does not have additional funds to make up for these budget cuts. These cuts and state deficits put at risk funds for probation services, intermediate punishment, a victim witness advocate and a domestic abuse investigator.

Please contact your senators, congressmen and state legislators and urge them to support funding for our justice system. These programs save lives by treating addiction, make our community safer through rehabilitation, and are far less expensive to taxpayers. These programs deserve your support. Thank you for helping to protect them.

The writer is a candidate for Centre County district attorney.

This story was originally published July 4, 2017 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Support for justice system funding."