Currently holds the office of Northampton County District Attorney until January 3, 2028.
Candidate for Northampton County District Attorney in 2023 Pennsylvania General Election.
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Get StartedRecognize the diversity of Northampton County, to ensure that justice is equally administered to all, while recognizing that individuals may present different underlying circumstances, which, at times, should be considered to ensure rehabilitative justice. Learn more
Ensure that justice does not favor some over others. Violent criminals need to be convicted and isolated from our community, but our justice system also needs to be fair to all, with no person or group receiving preferential treatment. Our justice system must equally protect all in our community, without regard to one’s background, identity, political patronage, or community “connections.”. Learn more
The possession of small amounts marijuana prosecutions has clogged Northampton County’s courts and the convictions that the current District Attorney demands leads to the destruction of employment and educational prospects for many of our young adults. Baratta will decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Baratta will also assemble a team that educates Northampton County youth about the perils of drug use, concentrating on the dangers presented by fentanyl, heroin, opioids, and methamphetamine, to the users, their families, and our community at large. Learn more
Expand the use of Northampton County’s Drug Court. Drug Court is a pretrial diversion plan that offers an opportunity for users to avoid incarceration so long as the participants enter a drug treatment program and remain sober. The District Attorney's office has veto authority, and the current District Attorney has erected arbitrary barriers to deny entry into these programs. Baratta will take down barriers and will seek the use our opioid funding to increase staffing to support the expansion of Drug Court, so more of our citizens struggling with addiction can get help that they need, rather than suffer punishments that have no rehabilitative impact. Learn more
Baratta will also concentrate his resources in prosecuting felony drug dealers – those who are in the business of dealing fentanyl, heroin, opioids, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances which ravage our community. Learn more
Fund educational programming, including establishing a presence in every Northampton County high school to educate our youth about the dangers of drug use, especially fentanyl, which has ravaged our social fabric and killed so many of our young adults. The District Attorney needs to be involved in more than just an arrest and conviction policy but must engage in protective actions within our community to address the fentanyl and opioid crisis. Learn more
Ensure that full-time district attorneys do not “moonlight” during work hours but are available to serve our community at all times of the day. Learn more
Baratta understands the importance of providing support and guidance to victims and families who have endured domestic violence, psychological trauma from victimization or have been injured by crimes of violence. By endeavoring to create authentic relationships between the District Attorney and victims that continue beyond trial, Baratta will cultivate an office that cares about victims and provides them with a strong voice in the criminal justice process. Learn more
Use money from the Drug Forfeiture Fund to partner with local governmental agencies to develop programs that merge community policing with neighborhood and civic involvement – programs designed to clean up neighborhoods, fund and educate local organizations so they have tools to expand community participation, and help foster a better relationship between police and our community. Northampton County needs more energy, dedication, passion, and activism to address this problem. Learn more
Bring transparency and accounting to the citizens about the funds held in the drug forfeiture account and the funds made available from the opioid settlement to Northampton County—both of which were created to help address the destruction brought about by the scourge of addiction. Learn more
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