Prosecutors and the Law

Jost, Kenneth. "Prosecutors and the Law." CQ Researcher 17.38 (2007): 937-960.
Is prosecutorial misconduct a serious problem?

Three former Duke University lacrosse players are putting their lives back together after being wrongfully accused of rape in a sensational case that dominated headlines nationwide for more than a year. The case collapsed after Durham, N.C., District Attorney Michael B. Nifong was shown to have withheld evidence that law and ethical rules require be turned over to defense lawyers. Nifong's actions resulted in his resignation and disbarment and helped generate widespread debate about prosecutorial misconduct. Prosecutors say misconduct occurs only infrequently. But many critics say infractions are more common than prosecutors acknowledge and rarely are punished. They call for courts and lawyer-discipline bodies to take stronger action when prosecutors violate legal or ethical rules. But several factors, including limited resources, may limit any move toward stiffer sanctions for prosecutorial misconduct.
From the CQ Researcher. Reprinted with permission from CQ Press.


Articles - Two searches for each database are given. The first is prosecutorial misconduct in general. The second is for articles dealing specifically with Duke and the Lacrosse case.

EBSCOhost

• ( DE "JUSTICE, Administration of" and DE "Corrupt practices" ) or ( DE "PUBLIC prosecutors -- United States" and DE "MISCONDUCT in office" ) or prosecutorial misconduct or (DE "PROSECUTION" and ethics)
  
  
• Duke and Lacrosse
  

ProQuest

• ((LSU({PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT}) AND (LSU({PROSECUTIONS}) OR LSU({PROSECUTION})))) OR prosecutorial misconduct
  
  
• ((LCO({DUKE UNIVERSITY}) OR LSU({DUKE UNIVERSITY}) OR LPER({DUKE UNIVERSITY})) AND LSU({LACROSSE}))