Maricopa County Attorney Debate

The county attorney is arguably the most important position in the entire criminal justice system.
Judges can only preside over cases that are brought to them. And if someone is convicted of a crime, there are mandatory sentence guidelines that constrain what sentences Judges may impose.
Defense attorneys have to defend their clients whether they think they are guilty or innocent. That is not a bad thing: it is their job and it is important, but it constrains their impact.
When a police officer arrests someone it is up to the County Attorney to decide whether to prosecute or drop a case, whether to send the defendant into some sort of diversion program, and exactly what to charge. That is a huge amount of discretionary power. Charges for many offenses can vary greatly with wide differences in penalties.
And most crimes in Arizona, particularly violent crimes, are handled by the County Attorneys, not by the Arizona Attorney General.

This is a very important job.

Our guests in this week’s Think Tank are the two candidates for Maricopa County Attorney. 
The current county attorney, Allister Adel was appointed to the position late last year when her predecessor was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Her challenger is Julie Gunnigle.

Their debate is the subject of this week’s Think Tank.  We ran over in time, so their closing statement are on the web at www.KTAR.com

Maricopa County Attorney Debate
The county attorney is arguably the most important position in the entire criminal justice system.
<ul>
<li>Judges can only preside over cases that are brought to them. And if someone is convicted of a crime, there are mandatory sentence guidelines that constrain what sentences Judges may impose.</li>
<li>Defense attorneys have to defend their clients whether they think they are guilty or innocent. That is not a bad thing: it is their job and it is important, but it constrains their impact.</li>
<li>When a police officer arrests someone it is up to the County Attorney to decide whether to prosecute or drop a case, whether to send the defendant into some sort of diversion program, and exactly what to charge. That is a huge amount of discretionary power. Charges for many offenses can vary greatly with wide differences in penalties.</li>
<li>And most crimes in Arizona, particularly violent crimes, are handled by the County Attorneys, not by the Arizona Attorney General.</li>
</ul>
This is a very important job.
Our guests in this week&rsquo;s Think Tank are the two candidates for Maricopa County Attorney. 
<ul>
<li>The current county attorney, Allister Adel was appointed to the position late last year when her predecessor was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court.</li>
<li>Her challenger is Julie Gunnigle.</li>
</ul>
Their debate is the subject of this week&rsquo;s Think Tank.&nbsp; We ran over in time, so their closing statement are on the web at <a href="http://www.KTAR.com">www.KTAR.com</a>

Hosted by KTAR political analyst, Dr. Mike O'Neil, 'The Think Tank' aspires to bring together some of the state's most interesting, thoughtful and influential leaders to discuss the economic, political and social issues facing the state and the nation.

Hosted by KTAR political analyst, Dr. Mike O'Neil, 'The Think Tank' aspires to bring together some of the state's most interesting, thoughtful and influential leaders to discuss the economic, political and social issues facing the state and the nation.

The program is hosted by KTAR political analyst Dr. Mike O'Neil. "The Think Tank" is where the Valley's most influential and opinionated leaders come together for one-hour every weekend. We discuss and debate the major economic, political and social issues of the week, making genuine attempts to reach at least one piece of common ground.

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