Articles Posted in Prosecutor problems

American Prosecutors’ Powers and Obligations in the Era of Plea Bargaining. Darryl K. Brown [University of Virginia School of Law]. I. Introduction American prosecutors are generally understood to have a lot of power, and that power is often the subject of criticism. But whether American prosecutors’ power is problematic depends on the structure and operation…

Confirmation Bias and Other Systemic Causes of Wrongful Convictions: A Sentinel Events Perspective, By D. Kim Rossmo and Joycelyn M. Pollock. Their study suggests that 37% of wrongful convictions result from confirmation bias. Table 1: Causal Factors (≥ 10) Causal Factor Confirmation bias 37 Tunnel vision 24 High-profile crime/media attention 23 Management/supervision issues 22 Careless/incompetent…

Once again it is the duty of the defense counsel to police the prosecutors not for the prosecutors to police themselves. That is one of the conclusions from the new decision—United States v. Voorhees, https://www.armfor.uscourts.gov/newcaaf/opinions/2018OctTerm/180372.pdf, just decided by the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. In Voorhees, the trial counsel (prosecutor) tried…

An accused in pretrial confinement awaiting trial receives day for day credit toward any sentence to confinement. In the old days, we referred to that as “Allen credit.” Note, an accused may not automatically get credit for time spent in civilian jail–that needs to be litigated at trial. See United States v. Harris, __ M.J.…

Like it or not, consistent or not consistent with long-held notions of justice, a military member accused of a sexual assault is presumed guilty. Sure command and others will say you are going to get a fair hearing and trial, but that’s not reality. Over 100 Law Professors, Others Call on DOJ to Stop Junk-Science…

At SimpleJustice blog (a blog worth following) there is a piece about Judge Kopf and a tweet which leads to a discussion of a prosecutors obligation to provide discovery to the defense. Let me start with some basics and two cases that prosecutors and defense lawyers know (or should know) well. In Brady v. Maryland,…

LtCol CT called the possibility that defense counsel might be asking potential witnesses about evidence governed by MIL. R. EVID. 412 and 513 “gross and cruel.” All this caused Capt X (the defense counsel) to audibly sob at counsel table, and she was unable to continue. Unfortunately, it appears that the words and actions of…

The Army Court of Criminal Appeals will hear oral argument on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, at 10 a.m., in United States v. Ahern, No. 20130822. The court will consider the arguments of counsel on the following two issues. I. [WHETHER] IT WAS PLAIN ERROR WHEN THE MILITARY JUDGE ALLOWED TRIAL COUNSEL TO ARGUE THAT APPELLANT…

As people know, I follow closely issues of improper prosecution argument. Trial counsel’s arguments present an opportunity for significant error and perhaps a new trial. Well, this snapped my head when first read. Appellant, a married African-American adult of 27 years, raises a complaint under Grostefon which merits discussion. He asserts government counsel referred to…

The Guardian reports, Detective criticised for ‘getting too close’ in alleged rape case, 9 May 2016. A senior judge has criticised a police detective and the Crown Prosecution Service for their handling of an accusation of gang rape after the case against four young men collapsed just as their trial was due to begin. Judge…