HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Ottawa County Assistant Prosecutor Juanita F. Bocanegra has announced her candidacy in the 2020 election for the 58th District Court Judge in Holland. She’s running for Judge Susan A. Jonas’ seat. Jonas is term-limited.
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In making her announcement, she thanked dozens of supporters and listed almost as many endorsements. Asked about how she’d approach criminal justice reform if elected, she had a two-part answer.
“When somebody is ready to make a change and they want to work, I think as a community, we owe it to them, and we owe it to ourselves, to come alongside them and help them towards that,” Bocanegra said. “Fortunately in our community, we do not have a lot of evil people, we have a lot of people who keep making mistakes.”
But, she said, that doesn’t mean everyone gets to go free.
“When somebody’s not ready to make a change, or not willing to make a change, we also have an obligation to protect the larger community,” she said.
Bocanegra has been an assistant prosecutor in Ottawa County since 2011, handling cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, including armed robbery and homicide.
She grew up in Texas and Michigan, graduating from West Ottawa High School in 1993 and earning a Bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University in International Relations in 1997. and a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2008.
Boganegra is married and has two daughters.
