Prosecutors Must Seek Justice, and Not Simply a Conviction

question 74

Essay

Prosecutors must seek justice, and not simply a conviction. However, once a case goes to trial, the subculture of winning is a difficult pressure to ignore. You are a prosecuting attorney in a rural county in Wyoming, trying a murder case. You know that most of the jurors that you will seat have no real scientific sense of what kinds of physical evidence are more valid than others. Are there kinds of physical evidence that you will not introduce into court, because they are too unreliable, even though the jurors will not know the difference? If so, why? If not, why not?

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Definitions:

Anxiety

A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome, often reflecting a response to stress or threat.

Sociocultural Therapist

A mental health professional who considers an individual's cultural, societal, and familial influences on well-being and uses these considerations in their therapeutic approach.

Cognitive-behavioral Therapist

A mental health professional specializing in treating emotional and mental disorders using cognitive-behavioral therapy, focusing on changing negative thought patterns and behaviors.

Psychodynamic Therapist

A mental health professional who treats individuals by exploring the dynamic interactions between their conscious and unconscious mind.