Article Contributed on: 10/9/2008 12:50:35 PM
Vicky Peters is running for Jefferson County District Attorney and answered a questionnaire for YourHub.com. To read all of the candidate questionnaires,
click here.
Name: Vicky Peters
Seat you are seeking: District Attorney, First Judicial District
Age: 52
Family: 2 cats; 2 horses
Occupation: Environmental enforcement and consulting
Hometown: Lakewood
Your Web site: vickypeters4DA.jeffcodems.org
Favorite local place to hang out: JeffCo Open Space Parks
What I like most about living here: Having my horses in my back yard; proximity to mountains and city
Interests & hobbies: Horses - more a way of life than a hobby; music
Favorite TV show: Masterpiece Theatre; The Office
Favorite Web site: http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2
People who inspired you (and how):Gene Nichol, ex-Dean of CU law school who has been willing to sacrifice all but his principles and good humor to serve the public;
Desmond Tutu, who has exemplified the power of love, compassion, forgiveness - and also good humor; citizen activists who won't give up on our country.
How you have contributed to the community: I have focused my efforts where I have felt I was in the best position to make a difference - the field of environmental cleanup and compensation.
What are the biggest issues facing your constituency now: Relevant to the District Attorney's Office: restoring faith in the judicial system by ensuring fairness, regardless of financial means and connections of the accused; safeguarding the constitutional rights of the public against unlawful intrusion by the government in the guise of security; reducing recidivism and concentrating on rehabilitation, not the revolving door of crime and incarceration. Due in large part to the "war on drugs", we are losing the fight against crime. Substance abuse is the cause of the overwhelming majority of crimes committed and must be addressed intelligently. Incarceration of addicts has not worked. The first judicial district needs to embrace reforms adopted by one third of the counties in the US (including Denver and El Paso), specifically, drug courts, which can get to the root of the problem and through tough love, behavior modification and treatment, help offenders transform their lives. We also need alternative programs to deal with mentally ill offenders. Close to 20% of prisoners have been diagnosed with serious mental illness. Incarceration and release does not help these people or the communities that reabsorb them.