CJ 100 Lecture 51: Important Relationships for Prosecutors
Important Relationships for Prosecutors
To be successful, prosecutors must have the cooperation of the police, judges, victims, and
witnesses. These actors in criminal justice, in turn, depend on prosecutors.
Police
If a prosecutor doesn't have the cooperation of the police, he or she will encounter
problems in investigating and in presenting evidence in court. Police depend on
prosecutors almost as much as prosecutors depend on them. By sending cases back
for further investigation and refusing to approve arrest warrants, prosecutors influence
the police.
Police depend on prosecutors to advise them about legal issues in criminal cases and
to train police officers in securing warrants, making legal arrests, and interrogating
suspects. This interdependence creates a unique problem for prosecutors, who
sometimes find themselves forced to either press charges against police officers for
brutality or perjury—which will impair cooperation—or condone or cover up police crime
—which is unethical.
Victims and witnesses
Many prosecutors prefer not to press charges if the main victim is unwilling to
cooperate. Prosecutors' willingness to prosecute is sometimes based on their evaluation
of a victim's role in the victimization and the victim's credibility as a witness. If the victim
precipitated the crime through actions or words, the prosecutor will be less likely to
press charges. If the victim has a criminal record, the prosecutor may not proceed with
a case because a jury might not regard an ex con as a credible witness. For their part, ‐
victims and witnesses also need prosecutors. Unless the prosecutor takes a case
forward, the victim has no chance to receive restitution or get revenge. In certain types
of cases, such as those involving organized crime groups, witnesses need protection in ‐
order to stay alive to testify in court. The U.S. Marshals Service operates the Witness
Security Program, which provides witnesses with new identities and security.
Judges and courts
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
To be successful, prosecutors must have the cooperation of the police, judges, victims, and witnesses. These actors in criminal justice, in turn, depend on prosecutors. If a prosecutor doesn"t have the cooperation of the police, he or she will encounter problems in investigating and in presenting evidence in court. Police depend on prosecutors almost as much as prosecutors depend on them. By sending cases back for further investigation and refusing to approve arrest warrants, prosecutors influence the police. Police depend on prosecutors to advise them about legal issues in criminal cases and to train police officers in securing warrants, making legal arrests, and interrogating suspects. This interdependence creates a unique problem for prosecutors, who sometimes find themselves forced to either press charges against police officers for brutality or perjury which will impair cooperation or condone or cover up police crime. Many prosecutors prefer not to press charges if the main victim is unwilling to cooperate.
