PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@prosecutorintegrity.org

CPI to Establish Registry of Prosecutorial Misconduct

WASHINGTON / November 20, 2013 – The Center for Prosecutor Integrity has recently received a grant to establish a Registry of Prosecutorial Misconduct. The Registry will eventually catalog thousands of cases of prosecutorial misconduct around the country. This information will allow policymakers to pinpoint priorities for reform.

The Registry will report the prosecutor’s jurisdiction, type of crime, type of misconduct, whether the case was referred to an ethics oversight body, whether sanctions were imposed, and other information.

Determinations of misconduct will be based on holdings of trial courts, appellate courts, state supreme courts, and legal disciplinary committees.

Registry cases will be identified by means of legal database searches, media reports, and other sources. Interested parties are welcome to submit cases for consideration: registry@prosecutorintegrity.org .

The Registry is intended for use by researchers, lawmakers, ethical oversight boards, and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system. The Registry’s database will be accessible through an online user interface.

“Over the last decade, the American public has become disturbed about prosecutors who ignore ethical standards in a head-long rush to convict,” notes CPI spokesperson Sheryl Hutter. “Now, advocates of reform will be able to identify patterns, assess trends, and compare jurisdictions.”

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, 43% of wrongful convictions arise from misconduct by prosecutors and other government officials.

The Center for Prosecutor Integrity is working to preserve the presumption of innocence, assure equal treatment under law, and bring an end to wrongful convictions through the enhancement of prosecutorial ethics: www.prosecutorintegrity.org