Amy Ashworth runs for Commonwealth’s Attorney with focus on juveniles, domestic violence

Amy Ashworth, an attorney in Nokesville, wants to bring her prosecutor experience to the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney. She is bringing awareness to fair handling of juvenile crimes, domestic violence focus, and discrimination in the justice system.

Name: Amy Ashworth

Party: Democrat

Town: Nokesville

Running for: Commonwealth’s Attorney

Website: voteashworth.com, Twitter, Facebook

Work: Attorney

Education: James Madison University for an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and George Mason University for a law degree.

Community Involvement: Amy Ashworth and her family has been actively involved in the Prince William County community since moving here in 1997. Ashworth is actively involved in 4-H as a parent volunteer and currently serves as Treasurer for the Nokesville 4-H club. She also volunteers with the Prince William County Bar Association breakfast for the homeless, presents at “So You’re 18” programs serving local high schools, and participates in the “Wills for Heroes” program. She taught Sunday School at Trinity Episcopal Church.

In her professional life, Ashworth served as Guardian Ad Litem for the 31st Judicial District, where she advocated for abused and neglected children in the justice system. She was President of the Prince William County Bar Association, serving from 2010 to 2013. She is also an adjunct professor at George Mason University, and has been a mentor to many young law students. As a Young Lawyer Conference Representative to the Virginia State Bar from 1995 to 1998, she started the “So You’re 18” program, which provides information and guidance to high school seniors about how the law affects them as adults. She also started a program to distribute a senior citizens handbook at senior centers to educate older residents about legal issues, such as Medicare and wills.

Questions and Answers

PL: What are the top three major issues facing the district you wish to represent? 

Ashworth: The top three issues in our criminal justice system in our community are the fair handling of juveniles, domestic violence, and discrimination within our justice system.

PL: What concrete solutions do you propose to address these issues?

Ashworth: First, we need to focus on juveniles. We need to stop tagging them as felons, find ways to divert them away from the criminal justice system, and provide services to them and their families so they can become healthy and productive members of society. As a mother of two teenage sons, this is extremely important to me. On Day One, I will assign a senior attorney to exclusively handle cases involving juveniles.

Second, we need to focus on domestic violence. Domestic violence is the most common call for service by police and accounts for many homicides in our jurisdiction. On Day One, I will assign a senior attorney to exclusively handle domestic violence so we can pay more attention to the serious domestic violence cases and sort out the minor “push-and-shove” cases fall within the mandatory arrest policies of the police departments and avoid unnecessary convictions.

Third, we must face the reality that discrimination pervades our criminal justice system. To address this, I will diversify the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, mandate implicit bias training, limit cash bail, and uphold strict standards. I will limit the prosecution of low-level offenses like simple possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license to avoid unnecessary convictions and reduce our jail population.

PL: From your perspective, what is the job description of the office you’re seeking?

Ashworth: The Commonwealth’s Attorney is the people’s prosecutor, elected to represent the interest of the people of the county in criminal cases. The Commonwealth’s Attorney is a constitutional officer sworn to uphold the law, and has the power to exercise prosecutorial discretion, which takes considerable experience, ethics, and compassion.

PL: What expertise will you bring to the office?

Ashworth: The Commonwealth’s Attorney is a prosecutor. I am the only Democratic candidate with experience as a prosecutor. I was a prosecutor for eleven years, nine of which I served in the Special Victims Unit, where I tried the most difficult cases involving the most vulnerable and innocent victims in our county. I was awarded the Justicia Award by the Virginia Women’s Attorneys Association for my efforts in combating domestic violence and sexual assault, and my handling of victims and mentorship of attorneys.

PL: Do you feel that the average citizen is well-informed and understands the workings of local government?

Ashworth: It is my hope that the average citizen has not had to interact with the criminal justice system, as a defendant, victim, or witness to a crime. However, those who have been involved in the justice system know our current system is not fair and just. You don’t have to be intimately familiar with the inner workings of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office to know there is rampant racial discrimination, over-prosecution of low-level offenses, and over-incarceration in our prisons and jails.

It is critical that our next Commonwealth’s Attorney address these issues and ensure that progress updates and conviction data from the office is fully available to the people of the jurisdiction online. As Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will not only make all information available online, but I will be an active participant in community events and organization meetings to keep our community updated on the activity of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office.

PL: Have you ever made any mistakes in your public life? How have they affected you?

Ashworth: When I was a young attorney, I made a mistake in a jury trial by questioning a defendant on the stand about his prior felony conviction. The defendant’s attorney made a motion for a mistrial which would require an entirely new trial. I successfully argued against the mistrial, and the Judge denied the defense’s motion for a mistrial. That evening after court, I reviewed the relevant case law, and I determined that I had been wrong: I had improperly asked about the defendant’s prior criminal history. The next morning, before the trial resumed, I told the defendant’s attorney that I was wrong to have questioned the defendant about his prior history and that the Judge had ruled incorrectly in denying the motion for a mistrial. I told the defense attorney that I would advise the Judge in open court of my error and that if the defense wanted to renew the motion for a mistrial, I would, as the prosecutor, not object. The defense attorney chose to renew his motion for a mistrial and it was granted without objection.

It was more important to me that justice be administered fairly and that the defendant have a fair trial than for me to win the case. This is an important lesson for all prosecutors to learn, and it was a particularly humbling and formative experience for me to have to appear before the court and acknowledge that I had been wrong.

PL: Our readers want leaders in local government. Why should they vote for you?

Ashworth: I am the only Democratic candidate who has experience as a prosecutor, which is the job of the Commonwealth’s Attorney. I am the only candidate who has delivered justice for victims of violent crime. I am the only candidate who has practiced prosecutorial discretion by not prosecuting low-level offenses and diverting juveniles away from the justice system. I am the only candidate who has run my own business and managed an entire office of attorneys. And I am the only candidate who has drafted a mission statement for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office that focuses on restoring the values of fairness, integrity, and honesty to our criminal justice system. I’m qualified, prepared, and ready to bring criminal justice reform to our jurisdiction on Day One.