See below for video of tonight’s Arlington County Democratic Committee debate for the Arlington/Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney position, with incumbent Theo Stamos vs. challenger Parisa Tafti. The debate was “lively,” as they say, with some intense exchanges, an at-times rowdy crowd, and with coverage of a wide range of issues related to criminal justice and the Commonwealth’s Attorney job. It’s fascinating how this race is getting so much attention this year, when in previous years there was almost no attention paid to it. To me, that’s a great thing, as citizens absolutely should think through what they want from their criminal justice system in general, and their Commonwealth’s Attorney specifically. With that…here’s the video. Enjoy!
P.S. Great job by the moderator, Krysta Jones!
Theo Stamos Opening Statement
Parisa Tafti Opening Statement
Keeping Guns Out of the Schools
Voting Rights for Convicted Felons
Views on Redemption
Death Penalty
Data Collection in Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office
School-to-Prison Pipeline?
1999 Case Involving Students Putting Hand Sanitizer in Teacher’s Water
Not Tough Enough of Too Tough on Crime?
Opioid Epidemic
Mental Health Court
Building Bridges with Other Components of Criminal Justice System
Racial Profiling Problem?
Most Important Challenges Facing the Arlington Criminal Justice System?
Improving Diversion Programs
Prosecutorial Discretion
Compliment Your Opponent
Theo Stamos Closing Statement
Parisa Tafti Closing Statement
Crowd Applauding at End of Debate
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