John Shea wrote in a letter to the editor published Sept. 19 with concerns regarding the Union County Criminal Justice system. In that letter he references a specific case regarding allegations from Elgin. I am the attorney handling that case and I have no idea what he is talking about. The case has not been resolved. This is not a criticism, but it highlights a much broader issue facing our community — a lack of accurate information regarding our local justice system.

Too often lately I have seen stories on cases I handle that contain information that is completely inaccurate. The majority of our community does not deal with the justice system regularly which makes it difficult to discern what is true. This is especially true in the days of social media where rumors take on a life of their own. This lack of understanding exacerbates the inability for the average citizen to discern whether information is accurate and make educated decisions.

There are many important decisions in the near future for citizens to make regarding the future of our justice system. This system is a critical part of our society, and accurate information is key to making informed decisions regarding how it functions. Court records are public and can be accessed online. In our size of community we almost all have family, friends or acquaintances who work in the justice system in some capacity. I encourage everyone in the public to reach out to those you know who work in this system to verify information. Most are happy to talk about their work and explain how the system actually works. Ask them what is working, and also what is not. Talk to multiple people to get multiple perspectives. And, most important, do not take elections for granted.

The future of our justice system is too important to let it operate in obscurity or be governed by misinformation. The citizens of our community truly can decide how well it operates. That requires citizens actively seeking truth and being able to know when they see it.

Jared Boyd

La Grande