Arbitrary Justice

Arbitrary Justice PDF Author: Angela J. Davis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199884277
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
What happens when public prosecutors, the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system, seek convictions instead of justice? Why are cases involving well-to-do victims often prosecuted more vigorously than those involving poor victims? Why do wealthy defendants frequently enjoy more lenient plea bargains than the disadvantaged? In this eye-opening work, Angela J. Davis shines a much-needed light on the power of American prosecutors, revealing how the day-to-day practice of even the most well-intentioned prosecutors can result in unequal treatment of defendants and victims. Ranging from mandatory minimum sentencing laws that enhance prosecutorial control over the outcome of cases, to the increasing politicization of the office, Davis uses powerful stories of individuals caught in the system to demonstrate how the perfectly legal exercise of prosecutorial discretion can result in gross inequities in criminal justice. For the paperback edition, Davis provides a new Afterword which covers such recent incidents of prosecutorial abuse as the Jena Six case, the Duke lacrosse case, the Department of Justice firings, and more.

Arbitrary Justice

Arbitrary Justice PDF Author: Angela J. Davis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199884277
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 264

Get Book Here

Book Description
What happens when public prosecutors, the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system, seek convictions instead of justice? Why are cases involving well-to-do victims often prosecuted more vigorously than those involving poor victims? Why do wealthy defendants frequently enjoy more lenient plea bargains than the disadvantaged? In this eye-opening work, Angela J. Davis shines a much-needed light on the power of American prosecutors, revealing how the day-to-day practice of even the most well-intentioned prosecutors can result in unequal treatment of defendants and victims. Ranging from mandatory minimum sentencing laws that enhance prosecutorial control over the outcome of cases, to the increasing politicization of the office, Davis uses powerful stories of individuals caught in the system to demonstrate how the perfectly legal exercise of prosecutorial discretion can result in gross inequities in criminal justice. For the paperback edition, Davis provides a new Afterword which covers such recent incidents of prosecutorial abuse as the Jena Six case, the Duke lacrosse case, the Department of Justice firings, and more.

The Changing Role of the American Prosecutor

The Changing Role of the American Prosecutor PDF Author: John Worrall
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 0791477614
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295

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Book Description
Looks at how prosecution of offenders is evolving in the contemporary legal milieu.

The American Prosecutor

The American Prosecutor PDF Author: Joan E. Jacoby
Publisher: Free Press
ISBN:
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description


Charged

Charged PDF Author: Emily Bazelon
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 039959003X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 450

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Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A renowned journalist and legal commentator exposes the unchecked power of the prosecutor as a driving force in America’s mass incarceration crisis—and charts a way out. “An important, thoughtful, and thorough examination of criminal justice in America that speaks directly to how we reduce mass incarceration.”—Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy “This harrowing, often enraging book is a hopeful one, as well, profiling innovative new approaches and the frontline advocates who champion them.”—Matthew Desmond, author of Evicted FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE • SHORTLISTED FOR THE J. ANTHONY LUKAS BOOK PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The New York Public Library • Library Journal • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus Reviews The American criminal justice system is supposed to be a contest between two equal adversaries, the prosecution and the defense, with judges ensuring a fair fight. That image of the law does not match the reality in the courtroom, however. Much of the time, it is prosecutors more than judges who control the outcome of a case, from choosing the charge to setting bail to determining the plea bargain. They often decide who goes free and who goes to prison, even who lives and who dies. In Charged, Emily Bazelon reveals how this kind of unchecked power is the underreported cause of enormous injustice—and the missing piece in the mass incarceration puzzle. Charged follows the story of two young people caught up in the criminal justice system: Kevin, a twenty-year-old in Brooklyn who picked up his friend’s gun as the cops burst in and was charged with a serious violent felony, and Noura, a teenage girl in Memphis indicted for the murder of her mother. Bazelon tracks both cases—from arrest and charging to trial and sentencing—and, with her trademark blend of deeply reported narrative, legal analysis, and investigative journalism, illustrates just how criminal prosecutions can go wrong and, more important, why they don’t have to. Bazelon also details the second chances they prosecutors can extend, if they choose, to Kevin and Noura and so many others. She follows a wave of reform-minded D.A.s who have been elected in some of our biggest cities, as well as in rural areas in every region of the country, put in office to do nothing less than reinvent how their job is done. If they succeed, they can point the country toward a different and profoundly better future.

Private Prosecution in America

Private Prosecution in America PDF Author: John D. Bessler
Publisher: Carolina Academic Press LLC
ISBN: 9781531020064
Category : Criminal procedure
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"Private Prosecution in America is the first comprehensive examination of a practice that dates back to the colonial era. Tracking its origins to medieval times and the English common law, the book shows how "private prosecutors" were once a mainstay of early American criminal procedure. Private prosecutors-acting on their own behalf, as next of kin, or though retained counsel-initiated prosecutions, presented evidence in court, and sought the punishment of offenders. Until the rise and professionalization of public prosecutors' offices, private prosecutors played a major role in the criminal justice system, including in capital cases. After conducting a 50-state survey and recounting how some locales still allow private prosecutions by interested parties, the book argues that such prosecutions violate defendants' constitutional rights and should be outlawed"--

Prosecution Complex

Prosecution Complex PDF Author: Daniel S. Medwed
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479893080
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
American prosecutors are asked to play two roles within the criminal justice system: they are supposed to be ministers of justice whose only goals are to ensure fair trials—and they are also advocates of the government whose success rates are measured by how many convictions they get. Because of this second role, sometimes prosecutors suppress evidence in order to establish a defendant’s guilt and safeguard that conviction over time. In Prosecution Complex, Daniel S. Medwed shows how prosecutors are told to lock up criminals and protect the rights of defendants. This double role creates an institutional “prosecution complex” that animates how district attorneys’ offices treat potentially innocent defendants at all stages of the process—and that can cause prosecutors to aid in the conviction of the innocent. Ultimately, Prosecution Complex shows how, while most prosecutors aim to do justice, only some hit that target consistently.

United States Attorneys' Manual

United States Attorneys' Manual PDF Author: United States. Department of Justice
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Justice, Administration of
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Model Rules of Professional Conduct

Model Rules of Professional Conduct PDF Author: American Bar Association. House of Delegates
Publisher: American Bar Association
ISBN: 9781590318737
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

ABA Standards for Criminal Justice

ABA Standards for Criminal Justice PDF Author: American Bar Association
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781570737138
Category : Criminal justice, Administration of
Languages : en
Pages : 151

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Book Description
"Project of the American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Standards Committee, Criminal Justice Section"--T.p. verso.

Public Prosecutors in the United States and Europe

Public Prosecutors in the United States and Europe PDF Author: Gwladys Gilliéron
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319045040
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
This research examines the role of prosecutors within the United States and in Switzerland and is completed by an overview of the prosecution institutions in France and Germany. The research recognizes that despite seemingly very different legal traditions and structures, prosecutors in these systems are similar enough that each system might learn from the others. Drawing upon the experiences of other nations, this research proposes solutions to the problems identified in connection with the position and powers of public prosecutors in the United States. Furthermore, it outlines the problems related to the increase of prosecutorial power and the lessons the European criminal justice systems surveyed can draw from the experience in the US. In terms of methodology, this research not only considers formal legal provisions but also systematic structural factors, academic literature and statistics revealing how the law and governing principles actually work in practice.