Prosecutorial misconduct is a catch-all phrase courts and lawyers use to describe a variety of ways prosecutors cheat to obtain the convictions they desire. With pressure on front-line prosecutors from their supervisors and pressure on elected prosecutors from political parties and corrupt political action committees like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, convictions have become more important to most prosecutors than justice. Even in the ultra-conservative state of Texas, journalists are speaking out against the gross abuses of power by prosecutors.
Prosecutors use a variety of tricks to obtain convictions of innocent people. Discovery violations are the most frequent. Some prosecutors make plea offers contingent on waiving the right to receive and review discovery. Many offices will disclose only some of the evidence they intend to use at trial against an accused person. The most egregious will encourage witnesses to alter their accounts of alleged events in order to solidify their cases. Joe D’Ambrosio was released from death row because Cuyahoga County Prosecutors hid evidence that proved he was not the murderer. Not only did an innocent man spend over two decades on death row, the real killer went free! Prosecutors are required by rule and by Constitution to disclose the evidence they intend to use against an accused. A skilled central Ohio criminal defense attorney from The Law Office of Brian Jones will make sure prosecutors don’t cheat you out of the discovery you’re entitled to receive and review.
Another popular trick in the prosecutor community is the illegal introduction of evidence. The Ohio Rules of Evidence and the Ohio Constitution work together to permit the admission of relevant, reliable evidence and exclude irrelevant, unreliable evidence. Often prosecutors will simply fail to disclose evidence they know will be excluded until the moment they attempt to introduce it to the jury. When the improper evidence is disclosed, many prosecutors will attempt to introduce it to the jury even when the Court has specifically ordered them not to do so. If you intend to fight the accusations against you, you need an attorney who understands the rules of evidence and knows how prosecutors try to game the system to obtain convictions at all costs. Delaware Ohio criminal defense Attorney Brian Jones lead his law school class in Evidence, attends seminars on the subject annually and has been frequently requested to speak on evidence topics by Thompson-West Legal Education Centers, the Marion County Bar Association and the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
When you’re facing criminal charges, your finances, freedom and future are at stake. You can’t afford a criminal conviction when the costs are thousands of dollars in fines and court-costs, lengthy jail sentences and the black mark of a conviction on job applications and credit reports for the rest of your life. Prosecutors have tunnel vision with their eyes for conviction at all costs. Call a skilled Ohio criminal defense attorney from The Law Office of Brian Jones to schedule an appointment and learn how we will assert your rights and protect you from the illegal actions of police and prosecutors.