Who Defends the Prosecutor?

Abstract

The average public prosecutor is depicted as an underpaid underdog who attempts Sisyphean labors with a staff of neo phytes who quickly move on to more lucrative practice. The turnover in prosecutors' offices far exceeds that in any other government office dealing with the administration of justice. Because of this and many other factors—social, economic, and legal—the prosecutor is ill-equipped to handle the ever growing demands on his office. The author compares the pattern of prosecution in the United States with the systems in Britain and Europe, stressing their strengths and pitfalls.