RJI Endorses Mimi Rocah, Candidate for District Attorney (Westchester County, New York)-May 29, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 29, 2020 10:00 am Pacific
CONTACT: Lisa Rea, President, restorativejusticeinternational@charter.net
RJI website: www.restorativejusticeinternational.com
Restorative Justice International (RJI) Endorses Mimi Rocah for District Attorney- Westchester County, New York
RJI today announced its Global Advisory Council has voted to endorse Mimi Rocah for District Attorney for Westchester County, New York highlighting Rocah’s strong support for victims-driven restorative justice and her commitment to address and make right wrongful convictions. The election is June 23rd.
Mimi Rocah is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York serving as a federal prosecutor for 16 years. Rocah prosecuted organized crime, gun traffickers, corrupt public officials, narcotics dealers, and sex traffickers. Under President Obama, Rocah was promoted by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara as Chief of the Westchester Division for the Department of Justice. Rocah has served as Pace University School of Law’s Distinguished Fellow in Criminal Justice and as a Legal Analyst for MSNBC and NBC.
“Restorative Justice International enthusiastically endorses Mimi Rocah today because she understands that deep systemic justice reform is needed in our justice system to serve the needs of all those injured by crime,” said Lisa Rea, President of Restorative Justice International. “Rocah’s support for victims-driven restorative justice backed by evidence-based research shows us the kind of district attorney she will be,” she added.
Rocah this week expressed her strong support for victim-driven restorative justice https://www.mimirocahforda.com/restorative-justice calling for measures to not only reduce crime, but repair the harm caused by crime in Westchester County. “Following the lead of organizations like Restorative Justice International I am committed to prioritizing the needs of victims, holding offenders accountable, and giving restorative justice providers the resources they need to help to heal the community after a violent crime has been committed,” said Rocah. In a recent RJI global podcast Lisa Rea interviews Rocah about her candidacy (in this podcast interview) where they discuss her positions on mass incarceration, victims-driven restorative justice, covid-19 in prisons and jails, wrongful convictions and corporate accountability.
Restorative Justice International stands in strong opposition to wrongful conviction because it is the opposite of justice. When the wrong person is convicted it is devastating to them and their family but crime victims are deprived of justice as well. “RJI has learned directly from exonerated men and women nationally that restorative justice applies to them,” said Lisa Rea. “So often the real perpetrator is not arrested creating two victims: the actual victim of violent crime and the innocent person convicted and sent to prison,” she added. “Rocah has a deep commitment to addressing these injustices which reflects her character and ethics. We need to elect women leaders like Rocah to serve as district attorneys in this nation today,” said Lisa Rea.
RJI supports Mimi Rocah’s pro-active platform on wrongful convictions includes her commitment to create a Conviction Integrity Unit to review claims of wrongful convictions https://www.mimirocahforda.com/rocah-conviction-integrity-unit and encourage other district attorneys nationally to do the same. Rocah supports allowing defendants to obtain DNA testing and supports reversing convictions obtained with junk science. Her platform shows an ethical commitment to study exonerations in the past and to seek to prevent wrongful convictions in the future. Rocah supports legislation on wrongful convictions when needed and would provide re-entry assistance for exonerated individuals when they return to society from prison.
RJI is a national and global advocacy association and network of over 6000 members and affiliates committed to victims-driven restorative justice as a foundation for systemic justice reform. RJI’s supporters include victims of violent crime, ex-offenders, criminal justice reform organizations, research academics, faith community leaders, non-governmental organizations, and other justice stakeholders. RJI’s Global Advisory Council represents an esteemed and diverse group of justice advocates and human rights leaders from around the world. (http://www.restorativejusticeinternational.com/gac-team/)
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