Castillo-Bach doubles down on criminal justice reform in Florida governor race

By AI, Created 5:30 AM UTC, May 26, 2026, /AGP/ – Evelyn Castillo-Bach, a 2026 Democratic candidate for Florida governor, is refusing pressure to soften her criminal justice reform message despite her son’s incarceration. She says her experience tracking the state prison system for nearly 25 years makes her uniquely prepared to overhaul oversight, staffing and veteran treatment inside Florida corrections.

Why it matters: - Evelyn Castillo-Bach is making criminal justice reform a central issue in the 2026 Florida governor race. - Her pitch goes beyond sentencing policy and into prison oversight, staffing, budgets and the treatment of incarcerated veterans. - The campaign is also trying to turn a personal family case into a broader argument about how Florida prosecutes and confines people with less power.

What happened: - Castillo-Bach, who is running as a Democrat after most of her adult life as an Independent voter, says she will not abandon her reform stance because her son is incarcerated. - She is campaigning on three pillars: Health, Home and Freedom, with the motto “People First, Not Politics.” - Castillo-Bach says she has monitored the Florida Department of Corrections for nearly 25 years. - She says that experience makes her qualified to fix a system she describes as driven by bodies, vendors and budgets instead of justice. - Her campaign contact information and policy details are available at evelynforgovernor.org.

The details: - Castillo-Bach points to the Jeffrey Epstein case as an example of prosecutorial discretion shielding the wealthy. - In 2008, then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta approved a non-prosecution agreement for Epstein in the Southern District of Florida. - The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility later said Acosta showed “poor judgment” in approving the deal. - In 2019, a federal judge ruled the agreement violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act because Epstein’s victims were not notified. - Castillo-Bach says her own family has faced similar abuse of unchecked prosecutorial power. - She maintains her son was overcharged and wrongfully convicted by a prosecutorial team operating without meaningful oversight. - Her platform calls for higher pay and stronger ethical standards for prosecutors and public defenders. - She says public safety depends on justice professionals who are not underpaid, overworked or left without oversight. - She also supports second chances while saying career criminals who game the system should face tough consequences. - Castillo-Bach says incarcerated veterans with service-related trauma should be moved from prisons into medical facilities where they can heal. - She says that approach would honor “wounded warriors” with action rather than leave them in prison. - She says, “I will be the first governor to prioritize criminal justice reform, including removing veterans from prisons and into special medical facilities where they may heal.”

Between the lines: - The campaign is using Castillo-Bach’s personal story to argue that justice reform is not a soft-on-crime position but a response to systemic failures. - Her message frames elite legal access, prosecutorial discretion and prison conditions as connected parts of the same problem. - The strategy also seeks to separate reform from leniency by pairing second-chance language with tougher treatment for repeat offenders. - That framing could appeal to voters who want prison accountability without rejecting public safety concerns.

What’s next: - Castillo-Bach is expected to keep criminal justice reform at the center of her gubernatorial campaign. - Her platform is likely to emphasize corrections oversight, prosecutor accountability, prison staffing and veteran care. - The race will test whether a reform-heavy message can gain traction in a state with one of the nation’s highest incarceration rates.

The bottom line: - Castillo-Bach is betting that Florida voters will reward a candidate willing to challenge both the prison system and the prosecutorial culture around it, even when the issue is personal.