Allan Adams, district attorney candidate

1. What uniquely qualifies you to serve as district attorney for Robeson County?

The district attorney is responsible for pursuing justice in the District, Juvenile, and Superior courts. Working in Robeson County and our neighboring counties, each of which faces the issues of crime, poverty, and drugs, I have learned what works in each jurisdiction and what changes will work here in Robeson County to make it the place we all know it can be. I grew up here, have family here, and chose to come back here because I wanted to make a difference in our community. I am the only candidate who has spent years fighting for justice in each of the courts that are the responsibility of the District Attorney’s office. I have tried cases and had administrative responsibilities in the District, Juvenile, and Superior courts. Since 2006, I have efficiently prosecuted all levels of crime. These cases consisted of murders, fatalities, rapes, arsons, home invasions, drug offenses, crimes against children, and white collar crimes. I have the work ethic needed to make an impact here for our community and future. In the last five years, I have tried more murders, to verdict, than my opponents have tried combined. Therefore, I have the trial abilities required of the district attorney to lead in the courtroom, and the administrative experience to understand how to mentor and train staff. I also have the experience to see the bigger picture of how crime affects our community. My career has allowed me to spend more than 10 years working with youthful offenders in diversion programs such as Teen Court. The decisions made by the District Attorney’s office can shape the future of Robeson County. We must work towards a more just court system, be a voice for victims, and remember to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

2. You have worked in the District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney. Where are the areas that you believe could be improved in how the office operates, and how would you accomplish that?

As an assistant district attorney I have had the opportunity to learn from three separate elected district attorneys, whose counties face the same issues of crime, poverty and drugs. These jurisdictions allowed me to learn what is successful in Superior Court, District Court, Juvenile Court and diversion programs. My experience gives me a depth of knowledge of how courts can run efficiently, what resources are available, and how to mentor and train staff. This experience enables me to understand the needs of our community and adapt the solutions that will have a positive impact here in Robeson County. I have demonstrated the ability to lead in the courtroom while being responsible for a diverse and extensive case load. Understanding the effective use of court time will allow us to work for justice, be a voice for victims, and make a positive impact for our community. Changes will work and are needed in Robeson County. My assistant district attorney caseload throughout my career gives me a realistic approach to managing the backlog of cases strangling our courts, the delays in the system, the burdens placed on the victims, and how the criminal justice system impacts the whole community. As the only candidate with this depth of experience to see the bigger picture of how crime affects our community, I will maintain an active caseload while also providing the leadership that the office needs. A team approach to each of the courts’ responsibilities will help ensure that the public’s time is respected by taking advantage of the court time we are given. To make a positive impact in our community, my office will be available to meet with victims and to work with law enforcement for the timely and efficient resolution of cases.

3. For lower level crimes, is prison the best option, in light of the high cost per inmate and high recidivism rate? Would medical, counseling, and other diversion programs be a better use of resources, and provide better results for the community?

For lower level crimes, often prison is not the best option, and many times under the structure sentencing guidelines of the law, it is not an option. Understanding this through experience you look at how to best address the underlying cause of a crime and how to best prevent a defendant from possibly committing future crimes. Often for young and first time offenders you try to make available diversion programs. These programs will teach them that the conduct they are engaged in is serious, hold them accountable for their acts, and show the impact their crime has on the community. It can also be an opportunity to address underlying substance abuse or mental health issues that may give rise to these crimes. Throughout my career, I have used diversion programs, drug treatment programs, and other resources to address the underlying substance abuse issues. I have made use of resources available to provide treatment for offenders as part of a sentence which holds the person responsible for their actions. Experience gained from working with the victims of these crimes has shown that many times lower level crimes may have been caused by the substance abuse and addiction issues of that defendant. Often defendants prey upon people in their community, prey upon family members, and commit theft to feed an addiction. If you can get a defendant off the cycle of addiction, and out of the court system after the first contact you have had with him, while still holding him accountable for his actions, you might prevent him in the future from coming back. If the offender continues to victimize the community by committing new crimes, then we will make use of laws that protect the community from repeat career criminals.

4. What are the greatest challenges that you foresee facing the office of District Attorney in the foreseeable future, and how do you plan to meet those challenges?

The challenges that Robeson County will face in the immediate future are the retirement of experienced assistant district attorneys, the back log of serious cases, and the need to develop assistant district attorneys who will successfully advocate for justice on behalf of the people of Robeson County. The loss of experienced prosecutors will impact the pending backlog of murder cases. Robeson County any given year has approximately 100 pending murders in Superior court. We must find ways with current resources and seek additional resources to move these cases forward and address the incoming cases. As the only candidate who is running for office who has successfully tried homicides to verdict since October 2013, I realize the need to not only be efficient and dedicated in the courtroom but also to be able to handle the administrative responsibilities of the office. As the next district attorney I will be active in the courtroom, leading by example. To reduce this backlog and to efficiently handle the incoming cases, the district attorney must have trial experience and understand the complexities of the law for each of the courts for which the office is responsible. Throughout my career, I have developed diverse trial and administrative experiences and understand the responsibilities and legal issues that face each prosecutor assigned to the District Courts, Juvenile Courts, and Superior Courts. My administrative and trial experience training assistant district attorneys to effectively proceed to trial will be vital in bridging this transition. The skills I have developed, dedication to the public, and efficiency that I have shown, through my trial advocacy as a voice on behalf of victims, will continue as the elected district attorney.

5. How important is it to you for DA office to have a media representative assigned that ensures transparency with your office and the public in which you serve?

Robeson County would benefit from an active relationship between the media and the District Attorney’s office. As a credible source, it would provide transparency, truth, and information about the way the district attorney and the court system are serving our citizens. By working together, the citizens would be able to hold the court system and my office personally accountable for an active caseload and understand we are going into court and fighting for justice each and every day on behalf of the people of Robeson County. We can demonstrate our system is just, fair, and efficient. In addition, law enforcement and partners in the criminal justice system, such as judges and attorneys, will be appreciated for their participation in proceeding to trial and closing cases in a timely fashion. Often news stories inform the public that someone has been charged with a crime by law enforcement. The media can play a vital role in informing the public of the outcome of these cases. This attention will ensure that the public is aware of how effective and efficient the criminal justice system is working on behalf of the taxpayers. With the media’s help, we can educate the people of Robeson County as to how the justice system works. The people who are in our courts are our priority and they can rely on us. Too often, other sources provide incomplete or incorrect information about our justice system. With a media representative, whose task is to ensure accurate reporting, the public and citizens of our county will have confidence we are doing the best we can to be just, fair and efficient on their behalf.

6. Robeson County ranks No. 1 in crime in North Carolina, which means a lot of cases and a backlog in the system. The Robesonian has long advocated for a Manhattan-type approach, that the state send in a team of retired judges, district attorneys, defense lawyers, or something to that effect, to help unclog the system to speak. Would you advocate for that? Do you think it is feasible? If not, how do you plan to reduce the calendar with existing resources?

The District Attorney’s office must make full use of all court time available to ensure that we are effectively resolving cases in a timely manner. Robeson County has made use of special court sessions to try cases in the past. We have requested additional judges and trial dates to target the oldest cases that clog our court system. Previous administrations have requested assistant district attorneys from other jurisdictions and from the Conference of District Attorneys, who came to Robeson County to make an impact on the backlog of cases. We must request grant funded prosecutors who are available for specific types of cases such as domestic violence and drug treatment courts. I am familiar with these grants and resources from working in Columbus, Bladen, and Brunswick counties. Also, there are grant funded prosecutors and staff available for veterans’ courts, driving while impaired court cases, and positions to address the overcrowding of the jails. Diversion programs also have available funding for additional prosecutors. These positions will help, but to make a true difference in the backlog of cases, the District Attorneys’ office must be more efficient in how we prosecute the current cases we have pending in Robeson County. My office will effectively and efficiently prosecute the cases that are coming in to our court system. We must be prepared to try multiple cases each trial session and ensure that all the available court time is used. We do not have the resources for any attorney to be solely administrative, and I plan as the district attorney to have an active caseload. My proven record of trying multiple murders in a year, while still maintaining a full felony caseload and administrative responsibilities, has given me the experience necessary to lead as the elected district attorney for Robeson County.

7. How do you believe your approach to running the office of DA, if you were elected, would differ from that of your opponents?

As district attorney I will use my nearly 12 years of experience working in Robeson County and our neighboring counties as a prosecutor in District, Juvenile and Superior Courts, to combat the issues of crime, poverty, and drugs. I have the experience of trying back to back murder trials, while maintaining an active felony caseload, and will be ready for the job on Day 1. The district attorney must be prepared to lead an office of trial attorneys and advise them on their cases. Robeson County has up to 50 violent deaths and up to 50 fatalities a year. Using a police prosecutor team approach, our staff attorneys will work closely together with our law enforcement partners to seek justice on behalf of victims. We will be more efficient by being prepared to try cases with the available court time. As the next district attorney I understand the skills needed and tasks of each position in the office. The most important responsibility of my office is to be a voice for victims. The criminal justice system impacts all aspects of our community. I will seek funding and use discretionary actions for diversion programs for first time offenders, while using available resources to hold them accountable for their actions, and provide treatment and education which may change the course of their lives. I believe in diversion programs but also understand that the most solemn responsibility of a prosecutor is to go into a court room, stand in front of a jury, and seek justice on behalf of victims of crime. I have shown throughout my career the ability to try cases efficiently, and understand how crime affects our communities. As the next district attorney, together we can help move Robeson County forward.

8. Robeson County is the most diverse county in the state of North Carolina. If elected, what specifically will your office do to ensure that all citizens are treated equally and without bias toward race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, military service, or disability?

As district attorney, Robeson County can be assured that all citizens will be treated equally under the law. For more than a decade I have worked tirelessly as a prosecutor to ensure that the offender is held accountable solely for the acts committed and not for their race, who their people are, how much money they have, or where they come from in the county. It is my policy when taking phone calls for the homicides, arsons, fatalities, and other crimes which have occurred, to not ask the names of the suspect, but to base my advice and decisions only on the facts alleged. Cases will be reviewed and offers will be made based on the facts that are provable at trial before considering the criminal record of the defendant. Justice demands that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect; at times justice, also can be tempered with mercy. As an office, we must be able to relate to people’s needs and concerns and be involved with the community. I have worked with those who participate with Teen Court, a diversion program for youthful offenders and a volunteer program for high school and college students. We have provided opportunities for student volunteers and offenders of all backgrounds to gain positive experiences in the court system. Participants have successfully gone on to the military, college, and law school with the desire to come back and make difference in Robeson County. It is important to have community outreach programs, student shadows, mentors, and internships that allow the people of Robeson County to realize that the only consideration should be what the true facts of the case are, apply the law to the facts, and serve justice accordingly. Together we can work towards a more just and fair judicial system.

9. There’s been some buzz mentioned about a judicial redistricting that could align Robeson and Scotland Counties to merging and having one DA office. Do you agree with the proposal or do you have any alternatives which would be beneficial for the residents of Robeson County?

I am against combining Robeson and Scotland Counties for the District Attorney’s office and court system. However, if the two counties are combined, I am the only candidate to have prosecuted cases in both Scotland and Robeson Counties, to know the communities, the people, and the needs of these criminal justice systems. The proposal of combining the two counties is to make the court system more efficient. My administrative experience allows me to recognize the damage which will occur if the two counties are combined. This will deplete our resources by having competing courts with different caseloads and backlogs in a single district. Robeson County must show itself to be cost effective and efficient to remain an independent court system. North Carolina’s court funding as detailed by Brad Fowler, the NCAOC Research, Policy, and Planning officer, is based on the average number of minutes for different types of cases filed in the state, time taken to prepare for trial, and close the case. That number per case along with how many cases are filed, decides the funding each county will receive for resources, prosecutors, and staff. When a case is filed, the court will receive a set amount of money based on the average amount of time it takes to close a case. However, backlogged cases no longer received funds to address those cases. Therefore, we must make it a priority to close cases and pursue justice in accordance with the time frame of the case management plan. I will seek additional resources for grant funded prosecutors and staff to address the current backlog of cases. As district attorney I will manage the assistant district attorneys, staff, and calendars to have a schedule which will efficiently use the available court time to actively prosecute cases.

Ask yourself a question and answer it.

Adams did not do so.