A good county attorney can keep us safe and keep people out of prison. I can do both

With contradictory abortion bans on the books – one from 1864 and another from earlier this year, neither with exceptions for rape or incest – the election underway right now is more critical than ever.

Extremist health-care bans are not what Arizonans want. When I am elected county attorney, I will not – not now and not ever – waste taxpayer resources by prosecuting anyone for seeking, supporting or providing private and personal health care, including abortion.

By contrast, for several months, my opponent was deliberately unclear about her own stance, contributing to the fear and confusion over Arizona’s dueling bans, and indicating in multiple settings that all options are on the table when it comes to prosecuting people for abortion services.

Then one month ago, my opponent lost her cool in a debate, insisting that having a position in advance was inappropriate. Only a couple weeks later, she herself took an advance position, admitting that since neither Arizona law allows for women to be charged, she won’t seek charges against them.

I'll hold the county attorney's office truly accountable

It’s anyone’s guess what she says next time.

But what my opponent left unsaid is the most important part: She’ll still go after the doctors and nurses administering abortions, which means, you guessed it, there will be no medical professionals willing to perform these procedures in the state of Arizona – life saving or not.

She’ll make it a risk too great. Women will die.

Another view: Progressive prosecutors like Gunnigle only bring chaos

My opponent’s legacy of misleading the public and wasting resources is in line with the broader pattern of waste, corruption and misguided priorities in her office.

While making sweetheart deals for the privileged like former state prisons director Charles Ryan and staying silent amid numerous massive settlements over, among other incidents, police misconduct, our prisons are overflowing with low-level drug offenders and people suffering from untreated addiction and other mental illness.

In contrast, under my leadership, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office will become an agency truly responsive and accountable to the public for the first time in decades. Rather than locking up nurses and doctors, I will bring the accountability, transparency and responsiveness to the agency that the people of Maricopa County rightly expect.

I have plans to solve problems. Rachel Mitchell does not

Unlike my opponent, I have real plans to tackle the problems in Maricopa County. On my watch, the MCAO will enact evidence based, data-driven reforms that address our problems at their root causes.

Rather than throwing gobs of taxpayer money at private prisons to lock up nonviolent crimes, we will follow proven strategies that address issues like addiction, homelessness and recidivism directly. This approach will minimize contact with the criminal justice system, particularly in communities of color, and mitigate the generational damage done to families and communities by overincarceration.

By conducting a full audit of MCAO inefficiencies that waste funds without making the public any safer and by working closely with our existing health-care systems and grant-funding organizations, I will invest in rehabilitation and diversion programs to help Arizonans get the addiction and mental health treatment they need – something that is not happening under my opponent’s regime.

In 2020, Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved expungement of charges for eligible marijuana convictions, yet my opponent is refusing to adhere to the will of voters by making expungement universal and automatic. Instead, I will follow the law, clearing the way for people to find good jobs without the obstacle of a felony conviction.

Maricopa County needs an independent prosecutor

What’s more, thousands of Arizona veterans will go to bed tonight in prison, many struggling with the invisible wounds of serving our country. Under my opponent’s watch, a veteran must plead guilty in order to begin receiving assistance.

Once in office, I will undo this injustice by working with our courts to set up a pre-adjudication Veteran Treatment Court to assist with addiction treatment, mental health care and safe housing.

My plans will enable us to focus our resources on real matters of public safety, while keeping people out of the criminal justice system, reducing recidivism and giving individuals and communities a chance to flourish.

Maricopa County deserves a county attorney who recognizes drug addiction as a public health problem, abortion as a private medical issue, and accountability to the public as the highest priority for taxpayer-funded agencies.

A vote for me means Maricopa County can finally see what it means to have an independent prosecutor with integrity who fights for justice for regular people and holds elites accountable.

Julie Gunnigle is a former prosecutor, law professor and nonprofit director. She is the Democratic nominee for Maricopa County attorney. On Twitter: @JulieGunnigle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Julie Gunnigle can keep us safe and keep people out of prison