PRESS RELEASE: ACLU of Utah’s Campaign for Smart Justice Receives Questionnaire Responses from Prosecutor Candidates

May 29, 2018

Salt Lake City | On May 30, the ACLU of Utah’s Campaign for Smart Justice is publishing candidate responses to its prosecutor questionnaire that was sent to every county prosecutor candidate in Utah. The questionnaire asked candidates’ positions on ending mass incarceration, addressing racial disparities, and accountability for prosecutorial misconduct. 

“Elections for county prosecutors often don’t receive the attention they deserve,” explains Jason Groth, the Smart Justice Coordinator at the ACLU of Utah. “But a single prosecutor sets the tone and assigns the priorities for how criminal justice is pursued for thousands of Utahns.”

Ten county prosecutor candidates from Beaver, Grand, Iron, Salt Lake, Uintah, Utah, and Wasatch counties responded to the questionnaire. Contested races provided responses from multiple candidates, including both Salt Lake County general election candidates Sim Gill and Nathan Evershed. All three Wasatch County challengers to incumbent County Attorney Scott Sweat responded ahead of their Republican Primary Debate on June 5, which will be hosted by the ACLU of Utah’s Campaign for Smart Justice and Alliance for a Better Utah’s Education Fund. 

The results of the questionnaire will be published on May 30 on the Smart Justice website’s candidate tracker: https://www.smartjusticeutah.org/prosecutorial-reform.html

The Campaign for Smart Justice is a new ACLU of Utah effort dedicated to reducing incarceration rates by 50% and combating racial disparities in criminal justice. The campaign is focusing on the upcoming 2018 county prosecutor elections to educate voters about the important role of prosecutors and to encourage candidates to discuss criminal justice reform.

For more information on the Campaign for Smart Justice or the questionnaire, please contact Jason Groth by email, at jgroth@acluutah.org or by cell phone, at (563) 419-4261. 

Campaign for Smart Justice

Website: www.smartjusticeutah.org

Twitter: @SmartJusticeUT

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smart_justice_utah/

PDF of this press release (PDF