Ulster County has the potential to be a leader in re-defining what “justice” means in our society. Under current County Executive Mike Hein, we’ve made tremendous progress with the construction of the Restorative Justice Center. The Center is not only a place for our underprivileged youth to find opportunity and hope, it is the first step in reforming our broken criminal justice system.

But we now have the opportunity to expand on initiatives like the Restorative Justice Center to help break the school-to-prison pipeline and provide opportunities for the most vulnerable members of our community.

As County Executive, I will be proud to partner with our new County Sheriff, Juan Figueroa, to:

• Enact the “First Chance” prison-to-work program championed by Sheriff Figueroa, which partners with local businesses to provide employment opportunities for individuals transitioning out of the criminal justice system.
• Create policies that promote ethics and transparency in county law enforcement.
• Ensure we prioritize and promote programs that create alternatives to incarceration, such as Drug Court and Veterans Court.

Support and enforce the Ulster County Human Rights Protection Act of 2018 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of a wide range of protected categories and empowers the Ulster County Human Rights Commission to hear complaints locally, rather than going through Albany.