Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren (D) was first elected to the State Attorney office in 2016, after successfully running an ambitious campaign for criminal justice reform. During his tenure, he’s expanded substance abuse and mental health courts that serve to promote treatment and rehabilitation for eligible offenders; created a convictions review unit in 2018 to investigate and fix wrongful convictions; and has pushed for data-driven strategies to reduce recidivism, divert individuals from the criminal justice system, address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and improve support systems for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Warren, who’s being challenged for reelection by Republican Mike Perotti, has received backlash from the controversial Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan for dropping charges against nonviolent Black Lives Matter protestors in recent months. Nonetheless, Warren maintains that his prosecutorial discretion is based on principles of fairness, safety, and justice. He acknowledges there’s more work to be done, and as an elected official who’s been receptive to concerns brought forth to his office, there’s some promise in his assertion that he’s the best candidate to oversee it.
See all of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s 2020 recommendations here.
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