The Justice Digest
Issue VII, February 2022
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A Message from
Commonwealth's Attorney
Parisa Dehghani-Tafti
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Dear Friends,
As we settle into the new year and celebrate Black history throughout the month of February, we double down on our commitment to ensure our local criminal legal system is one that provides safety and justice for all in our community - regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, citizenship status, or other identifying features.
In the last two years, the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney has been steadfast in its mission to tackle issues of racial equity in its prosecution of cases. Whether it is through our partnership with the Vera Institute for Justice to tackle racial disparities, launching our Conviction Review Unit, applying our DOJ grant to hire a social worker and data analyst to support our restorative justice efforts, or discussing active cases in our in-house anti-racism group - our office is diligent in its objective to reduce racial disparities in Arlington's criminal legal system.
While we celebrate Black excellence this month, let us remember to continue this celebration not only in February, but all year long. More importantly, let us remember to continue being intentional about our anti-racist policies as we seek to repair a system that has harmed Black communities for centuries.
I look forward to continuing to work with our community-at-large to reform our criminal legal system and ensure it is one that treats everyone fairly and provides justice for all.
Kind regards,
Parisa Dehghani-Tafti
In early 2021, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney established the Anti-Racism Group. As an in-house working group, the Anti-Racism Group is designed to create a place where attorneys and staff alike can share ideas, have meaningful conversation, cultivate a culture of inclusivity, and propose policies that advance racial equity in the Office’s work. Monthly meetings provide attorneys and staff with an opportunity to discuss ongoing cases, trends noticed within the Office’s prosecution, solve problems, and have broader discussions of race and inequality that affect the work of the Office and the criminal legal system at large.
Mission Statement:
To facilitate a movement dedicated to uncovering racial inequality, encouraging full-fledged honesty, and remedying inherent mistreatment in the criminal legal system.
Goals:
- To create a more inclusive office environment and introduce “shared language” among staff around concepts of DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion).
- Work together to create policies and procedures that ensure our office consistently approaches our work with the goal of treating everyone in a just and equitable manner and to reduce the effects of implicit bias, taking into account that marginalized groups are often treated unfairly in the criminal legal system.
- To establish a manner of discussing cases after resolutions are reached to evaluate how racism or bias may have crept into the case and how it can serve as a lesson for future resolutions.
- Coordinate office-wide training that deepens team members’ understanding of systemic racism and oppression.
- Promote a safe, open place for authentic and courageous conversations about race, racism, and racial inequity, without blame, shame, or guilt.
Announcing 'Heart Of Safety', Arlington County's First Ever Youth and Young Adult Restorative Justice Diversion Program
Restorative Arlington, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney (OCA), and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Services Unit (CSU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing Heart of Safety, Arlington County’s first restorative justice diversion program for youth and young adults. Heart of Safety is aimed at promoting safety, healing, and accountability.
Heart of Safety will provide an alternative option to prosecution in certain misdemeanor and felony cases in which both the respondent(s) and person(s) harmed voluntarily agree to resolve the case through the restorative justice conferencing process (RJCP). The respondent(s), or the individual who caused harm, must be 26 years old or under at the time of the incident.
Cases identified and referred to as appropriate for Heart of Safety, will go through a rigorous restorative justice conferencing process (RJCP) overseen by a trained facilitator and consisting of four stages: first, the facilitator informs potential participants of the process and allows them to determine if they consent to remain in the process; next, the facilitator carries out individual conversations with both the respondent(s) and person(s) harmed to listen to their experiences, establish their individual needs, and determine when they are ready for a joint meeting; next, should the parties agree, the facilitator helps them draft a mutually agreed-upon written restoration plan; and lastly, the facilitator follows up with participants to ensure they are satisfied and that the restoration plan has been completed. If the RJCP is unsuccessful in resolving a case, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney retains the option of initiating prosecution.
The establishment of Heart of Safety represents the culmination of two years of hard work led by Restorative Arlington and thousands of volunteer hours on behalf of system partners, victims of crimes, formerly incarcerated persons, and community stakeholders, including teens and young adults.
Case Highlights
- On Monday January 10, 2022 Adriana Warner pled guilty to a felony charge of child abuse, in connection with a November 10, 2020 incident of reckless handling and endangerment of 2 children, resulting in one of the children having a fractured skull. Warner is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2022 in the Arlington County Circuit Court.
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On Friday, February 11, 2022 Michael Thomson was sentenced in connection with a series of cold-case rapes that occurred in 1991 near the East Falls Church Metro Station. After years of investigation and the use of DNA technology, police were able to identify Thomson as a suspect. Thomson was sentenced to life in prison on one count of rape, 50 years on a second count of rape, 10 years with eight suspended on one count of attempted rape, and two years each for two counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of the rape(s).
Our office is grateful that ACPD committed expertise, dedication, and resources to this cold case and provided us with the tools to prosecute it. The survivors of Michael Thomson's crimes included a teenager and a young mother of two. Thirty years is a long time for them to wait for justice, but we hope his sentencing brings them a measure of peace.
PDT in the Community
- On February 15, I had the opportunity to speak to the Arlington Rotary Club about our office, how it is organized, what issues are currently receiving the most attention, and how our office interacts with other Arlington and State agencies.
- On February 17, I joined Leadership Arlington's Public Safety and Justice Day panel to discuss our local criminal legal system alongside other agency partners.
Upcoming Events:
Wednesday February 23, 2022 at 3:00pm EST
Join us on Zoom!
Join the American Constitution Society and Fair and Just Prosecution for a discussion with current and former prosecutors about the growing bipartisan opposition to the death penalty in prosecutor offices and communities across the country. This conversation will be moderated by journalist Elizabeth Bruenig, who has written extensively on capital punishment for The Atlantic and New York Times.
Featured Speakers:
Elizabeth Bruenig, Staff Writer, The Atlantic, Moderator
Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Commonwealth's Attorney, Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, Virginia
Robert Dunham, Executive Director, Death Penalty Information Center
Miriam Krinsky, Executive Director, Fair and Just Prosecution
Dan Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney, King County, Washington
Employee Spotlight
- What is your personal philosophy or guiding principle in your work as a victim/witness specialist?
My personal philosophy in my work is to always meet people where they are, and to be respectful of their boundaries. I always remind myself that everybody doesn’t think like me – so I try to listen to others and hear their perspective. I encourage my victims to feel their feelings.
This work can be very challenging because I have to be a little bit of everything for many different people. Every case is very personal. Even if it’s the same crime, every case is different because people have different needs.
- What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?
Every case has a significant take away for me but the cases that impact me most are the ones that typically take a long time – SVU and homicide cases. The road of a criminal case is the beginning of a victim and their families’ healing journey and being part of that journey alongside them is very rewarding for me.
In my first murder case, I learned to understand grief and empathize with anger. Families often hold their breath for 2.5+ years as their case goes through the system. Every time I call to discuss the case, they may have anxiety because they’re afraid of bad news. So, at the end of a case when a conviction is entered – I tell families to take their first deep breath to begin their healing. I then walk with them as they leave and I witness that first breath. It’s a beautiful part of resilience that I love to see and support.
- Almost a year ago, in March 2021 – your son was one the targets of racist comments during a high school football game. Since then, you and other families involved in the incident have been involved in the #PlayFairNow movement. Can you tell us more about this and your involvement?
It’s interesting this incident happened the way it did. I felt like a victim – a victim in a system that doesn’t want to help. My son was in a system that was supposed to protect him but did not. The system failed us. Then it became about protecting this system, not protecting the students, like my son, who were affected.
This was the first incident where I had to advocate for my own family. And sadly, we never got the response we wanted from the Virginia High School League (VHSL), the school system, the referees, or others involved. So, the affected families aimed to spread the word in other ways and we launched the social media hashtag and began the #PlayFairNow petition which currently has over 15,000 signatures and is growing again because of another incident. We were reached out to by state senators and delegates to try to get a bill out of this. I went and spoke before the Senate Subcommittee on Education regarding this subject.
This experience made me realize the power of my voice in a way I hadn’t before. The resistance we faced through this empowered me to continue fighting for my children.
*** Unfortunately, SB 285, the #PlayFairNow bill introduced by Sen. Adam Ebbin, was defeated in the Education and Health committee on a 7-8 vote.
Click here to support the #PlayFairNow movement.
Reccomended Readings and Viewings
The False Choice Between Safety and Reform
by Parisa Dehghani-Tafti for The Crime Report
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
by Heather McGhee
13th (2016)
Film by Ava DuVernay
TED Talk: We need to talk about an injustice
by Bryan Stevenson
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