Do you believe the Norfolk County DA’s office needs to make changes, and if so, what kind?
Yes. The Norfolk County DA’s Office needs major changes in transparency, accountability, and priorities. Prosecutors should focus on serious violence and corruption while expanding diversion, treatment, and restorative justice options for low-level offenses. The office must rebuild its trust through independent police oversight, open discovery, ethical prosecution practices, and a commitment to fairness over conviction rates. Justice should protect communities, not just preserve the status quo.
Jim’s Top Priorities
Charge criminal offenders
Divert or dismiss simple drug possession cases
Ensure language access in the criminal legal system
Make sure all people have adequate access to legal help and the legal system
Negotiate with defense attorneys to resolve cases via plea bargain
Prepare for and represent the state in bench and jury trials
Reduce violent crime
Remove violent offenders from the community
Reduce corruption
Support crime victims
Educate the public about the policies, practices and changes in the prosecutors’ office
Prioritize domestic and sexual violence initiatives
Hold law enforcement accountable
Restore public faith in the justice system
Establish a Veterans court
Protect at-risk senior citizens
Guarantee constitutional rights
Prevent recidivism
Other: Lower crime overall through data driven prosecution
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Charge criminal offenders
Divert or dismiss simple drug possession cases
Ensure language access in the criminal legal system
Make sure all people have adequate access to legal help and the legal system
Negotiate with defense attorneys to resolve cases via plea bargain
Prepare for and represent the state in bench and jury trials
Reduce violent crime
Remove violent offenders from the community
Reduce corruption
Support crime victims
Educate the public about the policies, practices and changes in the prosecutors’ office
Prioritize domestic and sexual violence initiatives
Hold law enforcement accountable
Restore public faith in the justice system
Establish a Veterans court
Protect at-risk senior citizens
Guarantee constitutional rights
Prevent recidivism
Other
Please say a little more about what priorities you chose and why.
Lowering crime starts with smart, data-driven prosecution. The DA’s office should focus resources on the small number of individuals and locations driving serious violence, while using diversion, treatment, and prevention programs to reduce repeat offenses. We should track outcomes honestly, follow the evidence on what works, and invest in strategies proven to improve public safety, not policies driven by politics or headlines.
Do you believe it is your job to support:
✅ = yes ❌ = no ⚫️ = no response
✅ Expanded pre-trial services
✅ Alternatives to incarceration
✅ Diversion programs for youth offenders
✅ Diversion programs for mental health-based offenses
✅ Diversion programs for substance abuse related offenses
❌ Children being arrested in school for discipline-based offenses
✅ Expanding access to legal help within the legal system
✅ Devoting funding and staff time to community-based incarceration alternatives
✅ Victims who want to pursue criminal charges and no contact orders
✅ Victims who do not want to pursue criminal charges and no contact orders
✅ Limiting the use of cash bail in misdemeanor and low-level felony cases
❌ Holding youth in adult jails at any point in the adjudication process
⚫️ The limiting of misdemeanor non-dangerous offenses
✅ Immigrants that are concerned about possible deportation
⚫️ Clear public guidelines around the use of sentencing enhancements
✅ Use of independent prosecutors to investigate alleged police brutality
✅ Making the DA’s office more demographically representative
✅ Use of alternative metrics to conviction rates for measuring prosecutor performance
✅ Collecting and sharing de-identified trial and demographic data with the public, including bail and plea bargain offerings
✅ Use of an “open file” policy that provides defendants with information about their prosecution as early as possible
✅ Publicly sharing information on funding received through civil asset forfeiture
⚫️ Reducing re-incarceration for those who have violated probation
✅ Publicize policies you will advocate for as part of the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association (MDAA)
Download our full candidate issue comparison
Please take 2 items in the above list and explain why this issue is or is not a priority for you, should you become DA.
Item 1: Alternatives to incarceration
Alternatives to incarceration are important because they reduce repeat offenses, keep families together, and address the root causes of crime more effectively than jail alone. For many nonviolent offenses, treatment, diversion, mental health services, education, and restorative justice produce better long-term public safety outcomes at a lower cost to taxpayers. Accountability matters, but justice should focus on rehabilitation when it makes communities safer.
Item 2: Victims who want to pursue criminal charges and no contact orders
Victims deserve to be heard, respected, and treated with dignity throughout the justice process. Prosecutors should not treat victims as props or statistics, but as people whose lives have been deeply affected. Respecting a victim’s wishes helps rebuild trust in the system and can lead to more meaningful outcomes. While prosecutors must still protect public safety and follow the law, victims should have a real voice in decisions that impact their lives.