Monroe County Deputy Prosecutor Erika Oliphant announced Wednesday that she is seeking the office of Monroe County prosecutor in the May primary election.

Oliphant, a Democrat, has been a deputy prosecutor for more than eight years, handling cases ranging from traffic infractions to murder.

For five years, Oliphant served as the prosecutor's office representative on the Monroe County Drug Treatment Court team. She also has been involved in Veterans Treatment Court and the Re-Entry Court Program.

“I am an experienced prosecutor committed to community safety, compassionate justice, and constitutional values,” Oliphant said in a statement. “I am uniquely situated to provide continuity of service during the office’s transition, as well as to immediately begin to advance new solutions to pressing issues.”

She supports alternatives to incarceration, with a belief that jail should be for violent criminals who pose an immediate threat to community safety. Alternatives to prosecution and conviction should be considered on a case-by-case basis, Oliphant said, particularly where addiction or mental illness has contributed to the illegal activity.

Oliphant supports state and federal constitutional protections for both victims of crime and the accused, and stated that victims are entitled to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect throughout the criminal justice process.

Oliphant received a law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2009. In law school, she worked as an intern at Middle Way House and Indiana Legal Services. She has taught criminal law classes at Ivy Tech Community College.

Her campaign website is at www.ErikaOliphant.com.