The Lincoln County Budget Advisory Committee recommended earlier this month that just one dollar go toward funding District Attorney (DA) Natasha Irving’s office in an act of protest against her lenient, “restorative justice”-inspired prosecutorial style.
“It’s a statement being made that we’re unhappy with the present district attorney’s administration,” said Advisory Committee and Nobleboro Select Board member Richard Powell, speaking to the Bangor Daily News.
The committee approved the $1 budget recommendation in protest against Irving, who has served as DA for Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, and Knox counties since 2018 after running on a progressive platform.
The Maine Wire reached out by phone to the Nobleboro town office and left a message requesting to speak with Powell about the committee recommendation, but he did not respond immediately.
Irving told the Bangor paper that the recommendation was “laughable” and would not ultimately pass through the Lincoln County Commissioners, because they are legally required to keep the DA’s office funded. She also said that she would immediately sue the county commissioners if they decided to accept the $1 budget.
“‘It’s an insult to the work that I do and the work that my staff does,” Irving told the Daily Mail.
She further told that outlet that the advisory committee did not seem to understand the criminal justice system and that she has invited Powell and other members of the advisory committee to watch her at work, which none of them have yet done.
She also claimed that she would not describe herself or her prosecutorial style as “progressive.”
Irving granted The Maine Wire a lengthy phone interview last year, detailing some of her policies, including the consideration of “collateral consequences” in sentencing and prosecutorial decisions.
“And that’s any collateral consequence from military, licensure — like professional licensure — child protective matters, Second Amendment issues, immigration consequences, housing consequences, education consequences, it’s supposed to just always be part of the consideration,” said Irving.
“It’s like, you don’t want to convict a 20-year-old as a felony if you can avoid it, if it’s not really necessary, because a 20-year-old is not the same as they’re going to be when they’re 26, and 28, and let’s try and get them on the right track. But there’s also times where it’s so extreme, so there’s no way to just put a formula down that somebody can follow,” she added.
She indicated that she has a good working relationship with immigration authorities, though she acknowledged that she would at times avoid prosecutions that could lead to deportations. She said she did the same to avoid felony convictions and firearm removals from non-violent offenders.
In one case, she said, she decided on a deferred deposition, which allows a defendant to avoid conviction, for an 18-year-old accused of drug-fueled fighting, because he was foreign and would have become eligible for deportation.
She previously dismissed assault charges against an Angolan national accused of attacking multiple people, including a police officer, in 2023.
Progressive versions of restorative justice, which Irving supports, generally prefer rehabilitation to retribution, focus on “equity” in sentencing, and typically favor more lenient sentences for criminals.
