Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 112: Prosecutor Accountability in New York

Published: June 21, 2021, 10:36 a.m.

Prosecutorial misconduct continues to be widespread in the courts across the country. As a report from a decade ago discovered \u2013 with over 800 instances of documented prosecutorial misconduct, much of it serious with grave effects, courts, district attorneys, and bar associations \u201crarely hold prosecutors accountable for their misconduct. In fact, the whole system incentivizes misconduct by using \u201ccourt wins\u201d to measure prosecutorial success.\u201d\n\nAccountability NY is a non-profit coalition of law professors and public interest groups seeking consequences for prosecutorial misconduct.\n\nOverview of the project:\n\n\u2022\tThe power prosecutors have in the criminal justice system and how their misconduct frequently goes unnoticed \n\u2022\tHow harmful their misconduct is to individuals, families, communities, and to the legal system itself\n\u2022\tWhy grievances were the way Accountability NY approached this issue (Currently the only avenue for accountability in New York)\n\u2022\tWhat this means nationally. This is a nationwide issue plus it is happening at a time when there is a national movement for police accountability -- police accountability and prosecutorial accountability go hand in hand.\n\nEveryday injustice speaks with Steve Zeidman, Professor, Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic, has spent the last 25 years working in the area of criminal defense.