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Monday, May 02, 2005

Padding for fun and profit

Prosecutors here have quotas. The number of convictions they achieve is a key factor not just for promotion, but for actually holding onto their jobs.

Given these circumstances, it's hardly surprising that prosecutors over-charge and turn innocent people into defendants. They do this to give themselves more shots at the target, so to speak. It's all about numbers.

It's as if the D.A.s work for the Gap.

5 Comments:

Blogger Kelly said...

Hm. Would seriously call into question 'prosecutorial discretion.

Monday, May 02, 2005 7:23:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've been reading your past blogs (Riding in Cars... etc.) for the past 20 mins or so, which may qualify as a record on most blogs. Fascinating. I'm thinking of lawschool, and this is just aweseome to read, though I can't say it makes me want to continue. Keep it up, man. These are great -if entirely depressing stories. Aspirant

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 1:25:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If the prosecutors are judged on convictions, that is not an incentive to overcharge, but it is an incentive to make sure that they have a good case on people they do charge. Maybe they think they do.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 6:42:00 AM  
Blogger 21st Century Mom said...

Maybe I'm being naive but wouldn't the law be served better if what they were measured on was a percentage of convictions to total number of cases rather than a raw number of convictions? That would do more to make sure the cases were legitimate, or so it seems to me. On the other hand, it might just promote more internal, illegal, unethical deal making.

Friday, June 03, 2005 11:30:00 AM  
Blogger Houckfan1 said...

I'm afraid you're quite mistaken. I work for a district attorney and have for several years. Not only do we not have "quotas," but if cases come in that there is significant doubt about the incident, much less when we know that the defendant is innocent, we would much rather dismiss the case "in the interest of justice" than waste our time prosecuting it. The numbers are bloated enough.

I have more meth heads, wife beaters, and drunken drivers that come across my desk than I could shake a stick at. When I win cases, I get a handshake and I'm told "Well done, justice was served." When I lose cases (more often than not on some fault of the arresting officer or his testimony), I get a handshake and I'm told "Don't worry about it, justice was served."

I'm not here to "get more shots at the target" or to "turn innocent people into defendants." I'm here to pursue justice, not to pump up stats. My job, promotions and all, is not dependent on my career "wins." My job and my status within the office of the District Attorney is based on my integrity and my work ethic.

It's sometimes difficult to leave emotions and accusations out of a system where professions are diametrically opposed to each other. I go to work every day and one could easily define my job as being "at war" with defense attorneys, public or private. Perhaps I am a deviation from the mean of prosecutorial conduct, and it very well could be that the prosecutors in your area have quotas, but I don't go to work and look forward to taking "shots at the enemy". My job isn't about numbers, it's about justice.

Monday, June 23, 2008 3:12:00 PM  

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