Craig Watkins is only serving his first term as the district attorney for Dallas County, but he envisions himself as holding this important office for a few more decades. Hence, he is now engaged in a public speaking tour that he calls an “Educational Mission” to convince voters that he deserves to be re-elected as the County’s D.A. for many years to come.

Mr. Watkins contends that the media has unfairly criticized him, so his “Educational Mission” is meant to inform the public that he has achieved significant accomplishments in the D.A.’s office.

Last night, Watkins gave a speech at an alumni event for the Jesuit, all-boys Catholic high school, in the Ozona Bar & Grill. He began his speech with complaints about receiving bad press from the media and he also praised Henry Wade as the “most popular district attorney in Dallas County history.”

Watkins garnered national acclaim as the district attorney who used DNA testing to help set wrongfully accused convicts free from prison. But Watkins fears the public may perceive him as more interested in helping innocent inmates get out of prison rather than prosecuting truly guilty criminals. He dismisses those claims by saying he’s not a “kinder-gentler D.A.”

He noted that the conviction rate at the D.A.’s office stands at 98.5 percent and he reiterated his support for the death penalty. He spoke of the necessity for rehabilitation programs for prisoners. He made a surprise announcement that he had just received a $150 million grant from an organization in New York to fund rehab projects for Dallas County prisoners.

Yet, his speech failed to provide specifics on the $150 million grant, such as where did it come from and how will the money be used. He didn’t offer many detailed proposals on his programs other than to say rehabilitation is important.

D.A. Watkins discussed other issues as well. During a question and answer session, he stated his belief that O.J. Simpson is guilty of murder and the judicial system “failed” when the jury found him not guilty in his murder trial. His remarks sparked loud cheers in the audience of Jesuit alumni.

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