Shakira Lynn Hawkins, a U of M and Detroit Mercy Law School graduate, is a criminal defense attorney who is running for Wayne County 3rd Circuit judge. She has also served as Executive Director of My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence shelter. Born and raised in Detroit, she lived in Grosse Pointe with her son for over a decade.
For the past decade, Ms. Hawkins has been a public defender. She wants the court to be more of a reflection of the community by including civil rights and criminal defense attorney, rather than primarily consisting of former prosecutors.
Ms. Hawkins believes the system is broken and that she has a responsibility to improve it by making it fairer. Her goals on the court will be to reduce mass incarceration and to take advantage of alternative measures, such as mental health treatment and drug courts. She also believes that cash bail reform needs to be implemented as most of the those incarcerated are the result of not being to pay bail.