Saturday, September 25, 2010
From hiding evidence to lying in court, federal judges accused prosecutors in more than 200 criminal cases of bending or breaking laws designed to ensure a fair trial for defendants, according to an investigation by USA Today.
“Federal prosecutors are supposed to seek justice, not merely score convictions,” wrote Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy, who concluded that the abuses “put innocent people in prison, set guilty people free and cost taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees and sanctions.”
All 201 criminals cases USA Today documented were handled by attorneys working for the U.S. Department of Justice.
In many instances, judges overseeing these cases criticized prosecutors for “flagrant” or “outrageous” misconduct.
Eighty-six of the cases involved failure to comply with a court order and 61 dealt with “improper remarks.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Prosecutors' Conduct Can Tip Justice Scales (by Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy, USA Today)
Justice in the Balance (USA Today)
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