Candidate supports judicial reform

Why should you vote for Libertarian Steve Dillon for Judge this year? \nWith more than 25 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney, he has intelligent ideas about humane, compassionate justice. \nDillon favors victim-offender reconciliation and victim restitution. That means lawbreakers should do everything possible to compensate their victims and pay for costs of trial and apprehension. Studies show restitution through productive work is an effective deterrent to crime and is highly therapeutic. Working trains people to support themselves after release. Dillon strongly believes in following the letter and spirit of the Indiana Constitution, which calls for rehabilitation of offenders, not simply punishment.\nDillon thinks law enforcement resources -- paid for by our tax dollars -- should be devoted to catching violent criminals, not peaceful people who endanger only themselves. He was a founder of the Indiana chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws and a member of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. He also founded the state chapter of the Fully Informed Jury Association. \nYou want Dillon on the bench if you or someone you love is ever brought to trial. He would fully inform the jurors they have both the right and the obligation to determine not only the facts (Did he do what he is accused of?) but also the law itself (Is it just? Is it constitutional?). If jurors decide a law is unjust or was enforced in a way that abridged the defendant's rights, Dillon will make sure the jury understands it can return a verdict of "not guilty." He considers fully informed juries a "final filter against bad laws and corrupt law enforcement." \nDillon successfully defended Hulda Clark, the author, nutritionist and healer who has saved many lives and alleviated pain, but who faced charges this year of practicing medicine without a license. Clark is an example of a person who would never harm or defraud anyone, and who deserves sainthood more than handcuffs. Dillon believes people deserve choices in alternative health care.\nHe is known for his 15 years of fighting for more fair elections in Indiana. In 1990, he filed the successful lawsuit that struck down the prohibition against write-in candidates. This year, other parties whose petitioning fell short of getting on the ballot are dearly thanking him. Through his campaigns for state-wide office, he has won the Libertarian Party thousands of new supporters and "major party" ballot status in his runs for secretary of state. In those elections, he garnered more than 2 percent of the vote in 1994 and almost 4 percent in 1998. \nLet's talk dollars and cents. Another reason you want Dillon on the bench is he opposes charging accused persons a $500 cash bond in addition to bail. This is common practice in Monroe County, and Dillon says "it benefits no one but the bondsman." \nHe would like jurors to receive more money in compensation for their time. He thinks Monroe County's probation department is woefully understaffed; he would like both workers and probationers to benefit from remedying that situation. He favors building a juvenile detention facility, saying it is "more compassionate, more effective. And it could save the county millions of dollars."\nLibertarians want to stop the "police state" tactics that now hold two million American citizens behind bars -- 60 percent of them for nonviolent drug crimes. It is time to give a progressive approach a chance and promote individual responsibility by electing Dillon for Judge. He will practice thoughtful, creative sentencing, emphasizing reformation rather than vindictive justice. \nDillon can win. The Democratic Party is not running any candidates for judge against the two Republican incumbents this year. Every voter will need to take an extra second to pull one extra lever, for Steve Dillon for Judge. Casting that one vote, you will take a stand for the Bill of Rights and help stop the erosion of our personal freedoms. \nFor more information, see www.dillonforjudge.org.