Press Release  District Attorney Harrington Addresses NAACP

Pittsfield — District Attorney Andrea Harrington appeared at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield’s Public Library, this week to engage members of the NAACP and public in a freewheeling, 75-minute conversation about her bold agenda to reform the criminal justice system.

Speaking Wednesday at an open meeting of the NAACP Berkshire County Branch, the District Attorney discussed her first five weeks in office and what she wants to accomplish in the coming year. Introduced by NAACP leader Shirley Edgerton, DA Harrington said she was moving to roll out a youth diversion program, create a domestic violence prevention program, and reform the cash bail system.

“We really have an opportunity to do something unique and effective, something we haven’t seen in the past,” the District Attorney said. She spoke candidly in a room crawling with reporters and answered several unscreened questions from the public. The civil discussion resulted in great media coverage.

The Berkshire County District Attorney’s Juvenile Diversion Program will be introduced in early spring, DA Harrington announced on Wednesday. Rather than processing young offenders in criminal courts, the DA’s Office will review all juvenile cases. Offenders who are eligible will have a chance to redeem themselves through counseling, community service and educational programming.

The intent is to reduce juvenile crime by stopping cycles of criminalization before they start. “This is a community effort to lift up our youth,” DA Harrington said.

The District Attorney plans to eliminate cash bail with few exceptions, a point she emphasized on Wednesday. Cash bail disproportionately affects people who can’t afford to pay bail because they are detained before trial, sometimes for long periods of time, unlike those who are able to pay.

The District Attorney is also working with local, state and federal partners to address domestic and sexual violence crimes in Berkshire County. Director of Special Projects Helen Moon represented the Berkshire County DA’s Office at a meeting of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, held Wednesday in Boston.

###