Today Carol talks with Colette McEachin, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, Virginia.  She was elected in November 2019  and sworn into office in January 2020, just a few months before the Covid-19 pandemic began. She graduated from Brown University, worked in Boston for a few years, and then attended the University of Virginia School of Law. Upon graduating, she worked in civil law firms in Atlanta and in Richmond before joining the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.

“As a public servant, it has been a privilege to be the voice for children who were sexually abused and for women who suffered domestic violence; for small local business owners who were the victims of theft  or burglaries that devastated their livelihood; and for victims of violent crimes including rape, robbery, and murder.  As a Sector Prosecutor for more than 10 years,  I have been actively involved with various neighborhood associations and community groups throughout Richmond.  Recognizing the need to address the root causes of criminal behavior, I worked with other city stakeholders to create one of the first Mental Health dockets in the state in 2011. Prosecutors have a duty to  consider both the victim and the offender and to use our discretion to create equitable and proportional sanctions that will allow an offender to redress harm and also to successfully reintegrate into our community. “

Website: Colette4RVA

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