Democratic hopeful focused on protection from false conviction

Teresa Harper, Democratic candidate for Seat 8 judge of the Monroe County Circuit Court, challenges incumbent Jeffrey A. Chalfant.\nOne of the seat's main issues concerning college students is Monroe County's diversion program, which allows drivers charged with certain traffic offenses to go through a program to have the ticket dismissed and removed from their record. Harper said she supports the program.\n"I've had a lot of clients that have stumbled," Harper said. "If they're deserving and they work their way out of it, I think the diversion program is a great opportunity."\nHowever, Harper's main goal for the judicial seat is protecting Indiana citizens from wrongful punishment. In recent years, she has devoted herself to training lawyers for the state of Indiana and beyond. In 2005, she was one of 30 law professionals chosen to meet in Washington, D.C., to develop national legislation to hold lawyers accountable for unreliable convictions. Monroe County later adopted this legislation.\nIn exchange for compliance, the state pays 40 percent of the costs involved with providing public defenders to those who can't afford a lawyer. This has saved Monroe County more than $260 million so far. Harper said this experience helped her build consensus within a group and effectively budget.\nHarper is also a proponent of a program in Allen County in which, upon release, defendants are required to have constant interaction with a judge. Individual requirements ensure those released are leading honest lives. This program saved Allen County $3.2 million and reduced returning inmates, Harper said.\nHarper is also concerned by the lack of a juvenile facility in Monroe County, which means juveniles in corrections must be moved to other counties' facilities.\n"If one of the goals is to reunite that family, we have to look at a lot of people in Bloomington, Indiana, who have kids in Jackson County," Harper said. "Many of them simply can't drive to visit."\nWhile Harper favors building a facility, she is concerned about balancing the need for a juvenile center with the extensive fiscal demands it would require.\nAdding judicial proceeding in the evening, or night court, is another idea proposed for the near future. The plan, which has already been implemented in Marion County, allows residents to take care of their court responsibilities in the evening to avoid missing work or other commitments.\n"(Many people) have things they need to do during the day, and we want them to do that," Harper said. \nAs for serving during nighttime hours, Harper is willing, but she said a careful analysis of finances needs to be performed before taking action. \n"I have a real commitment to justice in our community," Harper said. "Obviously to do that, I have to be caring. I am invested in improving our community, and at the same time, also being very wise about the fiscal matters"