Braden Angel

My office will not only effectively prosecute crime. We will create a culturally-responsive,
victim-centered, and trauma-informed environment that prioritizes respect, competence, and
equity. I value the importance of social determinants of health. These factors are uniquely tied to
root causes of crime. In addition to prosecuting crime, the DA’s office has an obligation to
engage in outreach, stigma reduction, and community prevention efforts that ultimately reduce
incidence of crime. My office will prioritize treatment over incarceration. This includes
behavioral health and substance abuse treatment. Further, the DA’s office must actively partner
with community organizations that support social indicators of health, such as housing,
childcare, medical care, and food scarcity.

There are significant behavioral health access/affordability challenges within our rural mountain
region. However, I will actively collaborate with local behavioral health organizations, hospitals,
and non-profits to identify local, state, and federal funds to create avenues for behavioral health
access/affordability.

During my previous tenure with the 5th Judicial District, I developed our jurisdiction’s
Restorative Justice/Alternative Sentencing programs. During this time, focus on treatment over
incarceration was a relatively new approach to criminal justice. I advocated to prioritize
rehabilitation, treatment, and upstream factors to address criminal offenses. I worked to ensure case dispositions created a path for long-term sustainable change, rather than solely focusing on
incarceration.

Once elected, I will actively collaborate with our bench to create a behavioral health court that
operates similar to our DUI/Drug court. My office will strive to reduce recidivism and create
sustainable long-term change through treatment.