PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@prosecutorintegrity.org
Prosecutor Ethics the Focus of CPI Media Campaign
WASHINGTON / May 29, 2013 – Following admissions by a star witness that she lied during an Alabama homicide trial — sending a man to death row — the Center for Prosecutor Integrity (CPI) is launching a national media campaign. The media effort is designed to engage the public, prosecutors, and other stakeholders in a national conversation about the effectiveness of the criminal justice system and the problem of wrongful convictions.
In the Alabama trial, investigators offered to pay Alisha Booker $10,000 in return for her testimony against Montez Spradley, charged with killing a 58-year-old woman. But in a pre-trial hearing held earlier this month, Booker testified that her testimony was not truthful, that she tried to renege on the agreement before going to trial, and that investigators threatened to prosecutor her if she refused to testify.
County prosecutors denied the charges, saying a “discussion” about a $10,000 payment was “different than promises made.”
The Alabama case follows other high-profile cases involving allegations of prosecutor ethics violations.
In Maine, prosecutor Mary Kellett was found guilty by a state ethics panel in December of violating seven ethical standards. In California, the State Bar recently recommended the disbarment of D.A. Jon Alexander. In Texas, former prosecutor Ken Anderson now faces 10 years behind bars for concealment of evidence.
The CPI media campaign, which begins this week, consists of radio interviews to be aired across the country. Print editorial coverage is anticipated, as well.
The focus of the public awareness campaign will be the CPI Facebook page which will invite interested parties – prosecutors and citizens alike — to discuss the Alabama controversy and other cases involving prosecutor ethics.
“In the past, there has been no place for citizens and prosecutors to debate issues of mutual concern,” notes SAVE spokesman Phillip Holman. “For the first time, prosecutors can listen to the perspectives of citizens, and citizens can gain a better understanding of the challenges that prosecutors face.”
The CPI Facebook page is found here: https://www.facebook.com/CenterForProsecutorIntegrity Any person with a Facebook account is welcome to post a comment.
The Center for Prosecutor Integrity is working to preserve the presumption of innocence, assure equal treatment under the law, and curb wrongful convictions: www.prosecutorintegrity.org