Why Run?
Matthew is running for prosecutor to change the way that justice works in our community, because our current prosecutor is not providing Justice, For All.
Creating just and safe communities isn't a mystery. We know what works—and what doesn't. Matthew understands that it's past time to get serious about good policy in Cuyahoga County.
Our current prosecutor's office is using outdated ideas that make our communities less safe. These are just a few examples, but there are more:
Trying children as adults: The prosecutor’s office tries children in adult court, known as “bindovers,” at a greater rate than all other Ohio counties, with almost half of all children tried as adults in the state since 2018 coming from Cuyahoga County, where 92% of children who get “bound over” are Black. Children tried as adults are 34% more likely to commit another crime than children kept in juvenile court.
Overcrowding at the jail: Cuyahoga County maintains a jail population of over 1600, a far higher population than similar counties, despite consistent evidence demonstrating that pretrial detention actually increases a person’s risk of recidivism up to 50%. This unusually high population is driven by failures in cash bail practices and extremely slow-moving cases, sometimes pending as long as 5 years.
Abuse of Death Sentences: Cuyahoga County leads the entire nation in death sentences over the last 5 years, despite the nationwide use of the death penalty being at a 50-year low amid concerns about ineffectiveness, bias, and cruelty.
Ignoring Wrongful Convictions: Cuyahoga County leads Ohio in wrongful convictions by a wide margin, but the prosecutor’s office stands in the way of rightful exonerations and even re-tries people whose convictions are thrown out, leading to the resignation of the entire external advisory board of the Conviction Integrity Unit in November 2022. Nobody has been appointed to replace those board members.
Targeting of the poor: The prosecutor’s office charges primarily poor people and people of color from marginalized communities, while overlooking crimes such as wage theft charges and environmental dumping—despite the fact that wage theft is the largest single type of theft in the United States.
Cuyahoga County is nationally known for trying our children in adult court, overcrowding our jail to the detriment of health and safety, abusing the death penalty, ignoring wrongful convictions, and targeting the poorest among us. Is this justice?
We can do better. We can target crimes that harm our community while understanding that many people need a chance and a series of supports, not a prison cell. As a former public defender and a law professor, Matthew has the expertise and the practical knowledge to strike a better balance.
Please stay up to date as Matthew builds a movement to promote Justice, For All.