Describe the role of the prosecutor.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The prosecutor is of critical importance because of the office's central position in the criminal justice system. Whereas police, defense attorneys, judges, and probation officers specialize in specific phases of the criminal justice process, the duties of the prosecutor bridge all of these areas. This means that on a daily basis, the prosecutor is the only official who works with all actors of the criminal justice system. As Justice Robert Jackson (1940, p. 18) once remarked, "The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty, and reputation than any other person in America."Prosecutors stand squarely in the middle of the fragmented nonsystem of criminal justice discussed in Chapter 1.Naturally, the various actors have conflicting views about how prosecutorial discretion should be used-the police push for harsher penalties; defense attorneys, for giving their clients a break; and judges, to clear the docket. Thus, prosecutors occupy a uniquely powerful and highly visible position in a complex and conflict-filled environment. Amid the diffusion of responsibility that characterizes the criminal justice system, power has increasingly been concentrated in the hands of the prosecutor (Misner, 1996; Sklansky, 2016; Worrall & Borakove, 2008). The "Law on the Books vs. Law in Action" feature provides an overview of the role of the prosecutor throughout the criminal justice process.