How Dutchess' new district attorney, public defender approach opioids, past cases review
Newly-elected Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi doesn't define what he plans to do with his office as reform.
Parisi will be taking over the leadership role from William Grady, who held the position for the past four decades before retiring last year. Parisi is also the first Democrat to hold the position in over a century.
The District Attorney's Office, the Public Defender's Office and local law enforcement shape how the criminal justice system operates in the county.
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino recently appointed Margaret Walker as the county's Public Defender. Walker worked as a bureau chief and the office’s director of training.
She follows in the footsteps of now-retired Thomas Angell, who held the role for over a decade, and plans to maintain much of what her predecessor accomplished, such as implementing a client-centered approach to defending those accused of crimes.
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Parisi, on the other hand, aims to significantly change how the district attorney's office operates.
He wants to implement intelligence-led policing and prosecution, create a Real Time Crime Center to respond quickly to public safety issues, appoint a specialized hate crimes prosecutor, shore up the county's response to the opioid crisis, increase transparency and create a unit to review claims of wrongful convictions.
"I would not describe what I am doing as reforming the office, but as reshaping and modernizing the way the office does business in a manner that responds to the new challenges that law enforcement face today," Parisi said. However, the challenges he may face in upgrading include the need for additional resources in personnel and equipment and to recruit a diverse and qualified staff.
What may help Parisi is the county having appointed a public defender who has previously worked in the district attorney's office. Both Parisi and Walker have worked together as assistant district attorneys.
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They have also worked as "adversaries" when Walker became the assistant public defender, Parisi said, adding that he shares with Walker an understanding of "justice and fairness in the criminal justice system."
"He values everyone's perspective, including those with whom we disagree," said Walker, adding that she trusts the claims Parisi has made over the course of his campaign and election about his work going forward because she has worked with him.
Combating the opioid crisis in Dutchess County
There have been 92 deaths from drug overdoses and more than 300 non-fatal overdoses in Dutchess County since Dec. 1, according to Parisi, adding that the county has led the state in overdose deaths per capita.
"We will work on all fronts to remove this poison from the streets of Dutchess County," he said. Parisi plans to ask for more funding to mitigate the issue, strengthening the resources of the District Attorney's Office Drug Task Force and county law enforcement agencies.
Both Parisi and Walker support alternatives to incarceration such as treatment instead of jail time for those with "functional impairments" such as addiction and mental illness. However, Parisi said he plans to go after drug sellers with "full force of the law."
Walker believes while the county does offer helpful programs such as the Stabilization Center and 988 Helpline, there are also too many people being incarcerated and advocates for treatment, not jail direction.
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"From the (public defender) perspective, we should be about treatment, over incarceration," she said. Walker studied community and counseling psychology at Marist College before going on to work in the district attorney's office and then the public defender's office.
The county executive highlighted Walker's education and experience in community and counseling psychology as a reason for appointing her to this position.
"She brings her education and prior work experience in community and counseling psychology, which is critically important in helping to meet client needs and assist them in rebuilding productive lives," Serino stated in a press release.
Parisi plans to review past Dutchess County cases
Parisi plans to create a Conviction Integrity Unit to review "fact-based" wrongful conviction claims involving felony offenses and sentencing inequities. The unit will prevent, identify and resolve false convictions and disproportionate sentencing.
"Faulty convictions due to error or malfeasance on the part of officers, prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges can result in imprisoning innocent people for years, while allowing guilty parties to go free, further endangering the public," Parisi said. "My hope is that there are no cases that are in need of review, but I think it would be naïve on my part to believe that is the case."
In 2015, Dewey Bozella was freed after spending 26 years in prison when a judge ruled evidence was withheld in his case. He sued the county and was awarded $7.6 million for wrongful incarceration. Parisi pointed out a common form of misconduct is the Brady violation where "favorable information that supports a defendant's case is withheld."
Parisi said the county does have past claims of wrongful convictions which he believes were "presumably reviewed." However, the unit will go over old cases, though this could take some time to review and investigate.
The Public Defender's office also supports the initiative to look into the integrity of prior convictions.
"I don't know that we're going to find cases of people who were wrongly convicted, but it certainly cannot hurt to take a dive into old cases that are now closed," Walker said.
Saba Ali: Sali1@poughkeepsiejournal.com: 845-451-4518
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: How Dutchess' new district attorney, public defender approach justice
