DNR Open Forum: A Write-in For Lady Justice?

A statue of Lady Justice towers high above
our local court house.

“Love compels us to respectfully and humbly show all high officials what the Word of God commands them, how they should rightfully execute their office… to punish the transgressors and protect the good; to judge rightly between a man and his fellows; todo justice to the widows and orphans and to the poor… to the benefit of the common people.”  

 - Menno Simons

These words from a 16th century reformer are relevant today as we consider how to best use our influence for the common good. Voting as we know it was not an option then, but Simons made numerous appeals to those in positions of power.

Such appeals may have more impact than merely casting a ballot, especially when some of the more important posts in our local fall election—that of the sheriff and the commonwealth’s attorney—are uncontested. This makes me wish that in such cases one could assign a rating expressing one’s degree of approval of a candidate’s performance. 

In the case of Sheriff Hutcheson and Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst, one might choose a positive rating of, say, 85%, given their dedication, integrity and hard work on behalf of our community. 

Under the sheriff’s watch we’ve gained a full time mental health worker and a half time chaplain at the jail, a special pod for people with mental illnesses, and a pilot plan for giving inmates access to electronic tablets to use for educational purposes. On the other hand, I would love to see him do away with the arbitrary keep fee charged to inmate families and to consider offering drug rehab pods as numerous other jails have done.

As a result of Garst’s efforts, we have been blessed with having successful Drug Court and Day Reporting programs as alternatives to incarceration, with having her advocate for more available housing for ex-offenders, and with her speaking in favor of a “greenhouse mentality over a warehouse mentality” when dealing with offenders.

On the other hand, I would love to see her assess the legality of jail keep fees in light of the Virginia Constitution’s separation of powers provision and the U.S. Constitution’s “excessive fines” clause (as in exceeding what a duly authorized court has determined to be an appropriate punishment), as well as advocating for increased support of restorative justice and diversion programs to help reduce rising incarceration numbers. Also to increase the number of non-violent offenders eligible for bail while awaiting trial.

I recently sent some 100 emails to friends and acquaintances asking how (or whether) they plan to cast their ballot in the case of uncontested seats. Some plan to vote for whoever is the candidate, others plan to leave a blank in such cases, others will write in a name or a comment.

Which makes me wish we could simply give an approval rating. 

Meanwhile, with all due respect, I may simply choose Lady Justice, the symbol that towers high above our local court house.

Here's a link to comments I got from my recent informal survey on votinghttps://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2019/10/results-of-informal-survey-on-how-or.html