Domestic Dispute
The two candidates for Marion County Prosecutor are dueling over domestic violence. Democrat Melina Kennedy accused Republican Carl Brizzi of dropping the ball on domestic violence cases, citing a drop in the conviction rate since Brizzi first took office. Kennedy argued the number of convictions dropped from 37 percent in 2002 to 9 percent in 2005. Brizzi argued the statistics are misleading. Saying prosecutors file numerous charges against defendants which end up dropped for more serious charges. Brizzi accused Kennedy of not understanding how the prosecutor’s office works because she’s never tried a case. Kennedy told me her campaign used cases filed, not charges filed to prove their point. In addition, Brizzi argued a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has made it more difficult to win domestic violence cases because it limits the types of evidence that can be introduced. Kennedy acknowledged the Supreme Court case made winning domestic violence cases more difficult, but she said it is not impossible.
