PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY – (Press Release) Amy Ashworth announces her candidacy for the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney represents you, the people, in the criminal cases before the courts and oversees a staff of 24 prosecutors.
Ashworth has lived in and practiced law in Manassas City and Prince William County for over 23 years. For 11 of those years, she worked as a prosecutor in the Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, assigned to the Special Victim’s Unit, where she handled cases involving child sexual and physical abuse, homicide, adult rape and sexual assault allegations. She successfully took many of those cases to jury trial where she secured convictions and lengthy prison sentences for many offenders.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney is a very powerful position. Some of the responsibilities of the office include advising the police departments of Prince William County, Manassas City, Manassas Park, the Towns of Haymarket, Quantico, Occoquan and Dumfries, as well as deciding whether or not to charge someone with a crime, the nature and number of charges to bring, whether or not to take the case to trial or to negotiate a plea deal.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney also recommends an appropriate punishment such as asking a judge to take away someone’s liberty, suspend a driver’s license, impose a fine or require someone to be listed on the Sex Offender Registry. The Commonwealth’s Attorney can even ask a jury to impose the ultimate punishment – death.
Ashworth states “Make no mistake, there are absolutely cases in which the full power of the state should be brought down upon an offender to ensure that justice is done. But there are many cases in which that power should be tempered with compassion. Compassion for those who have served our country, those who are addicted to substances, the mentally ill and those who have made a mistake and are truly remorseful.”
Ashworth adds that “Under her administration, the office will operate with guiding principles set forth in her mission statement. There will be no more deals made with defendants without consulting with the victim of a crime and there will be no more “good old boy” network for the recruitment and hiring of prosecutors.
The budget, under her administration, will be transparent so that resources will not be wasted and pay scales cannot be adjusted to pay men more than women for equal work.”
Since 1995, Ashworth has successfully managed two law offices in private practice and worked as a prosecutor in Prince William County. As a mother, a wife and an active member of this community, she has the insight and experience to handle the office beginning on day one. She will continue to hold herself and those who work for her to the highest ethical standards of honesty and fairness when dealing with law enforcement, victims and witnesses of crimes, defense attorneys and the public.
Amy is looking forward to this campaign and serving this community as Commonwealth’s Attorney. For more information, visit her website at voteashworth.com.
