Page 21 - Jon Casey News Today

over to the circuit court for the prosecutor to bring to grand jury. by law in mississippi, the prosecutor has to give every case to the grand jury and the prosecutor can say there is not a lot of evidence in this case and this case has resolved itself, i dont think you should indict but it is people who have to decide what gets to court and what doesnt get to court. she said here i have 80 people on this list and when we came to court on the other day there was almost nobody there. pe...

nobody put together these patterns. thats one of the great meanings of ordinary justice. >> john, do you know miss wiggs? >> new york city but i wish i did. -- no, but i wish i did. i remember reading somewhere a few years ago that a prosecutor had never been disbarred. i think that changed this year. there was a prosecutor suspended for hiding evidence in santa clara county for the first time this year in california. but very rarely are prosecutors ever held accountable for misconduct...

reforms would do to help address that. that deals with the issues of transparency, accountability as you mentioned, jeff and the culture of prosecutors offices. as both you and amy have said prosecutors are arguably the most powerful figures in our criminal justice system. they have a duty to protect the innocent and they also have a duty to convict the guilty and that powers that they have as you described, what charges to bring. what evidence to present? who are they going to charge ...

hasnt prosecuted a domestic violence case in 20 years. there are these patterns that we cant see or know because under the guise of discretion and they dont have to make it public, and if you lived in the county, all right, you might know, i know somebody who was beaten up but the case didnt go anywhere, nobody put together these patterns. thats one of the great meanings of ordinary justice. >> john, do you know miss wiggs? >> new york city but i wish i did. -- no, but i wish i did. i ...

there are these patterns that we cant see or know because under the guise of discretion and they dont have to make it public, and if you lived in the county, all right, you might know, i know somebody who was beaten up but the case didnt go anywhere, nobody put together these patterns. thats one of the great meanings of ordinary justice. >> john, do you know miss wiggs? >> new york city but i wish i did. -- no, but i wish i did. i remember reading somewhere a few years ago that a prose...

cant see or know because under the guise of discretion and they dont have to make it public, and if you lived in the county, all right, you might know, i know somebody who was beaten up but the case didnt go anywhere, nobody put together these patterns. thats one of the great meanings of ordinary justice. >> john, do you know miss wiggs? >> new york city but i wish i did. -- no, but i wish i did. i remember reading somewhere a few years ago that a prosecutor had never been disbarred. i...

i think that changed this year. there was a prosecutor suspended for hiding evidence in santa clara county for the first time this year in california. but very rarely are prosecutors ever held accountable for misconduct or for unethical conduct. why is that and what did you find in your study as it related to the kind of misconduct that was common? >> i think in order to get to that question, taking off on amys story because i think it illustrates a common problem in prosecutors office...

few years ago that a prosecutor had never been disbarred. i think that changed this year. there was a prosecutor suspended for hiding evidence in santa clara county for the first time this year in california. but very rarely are prosecutors ever held accountable for misconduct or for unethical conduct. why is that and what did you find in your study as it related to the kind of misconduct that was common? >> i think in order to get to that question, taking off on amys story because i t...

violence case in 20 years. there are these patterns that we cant see or know because under the guise of discretion and they dont have to make it public, and if you lived in the county, all right, you might know, i know somebody who was beaten up but the case didnt go anywhere, nobody put together these patterns. thats one of the great meanings of ordinary justice. >> john, do you know miss wiggs? >> new york city but i wish i did. -- no, but i wish i did. i remember reading somewhere a...

bail. she is never given an attorney, and she sits in jail for eight days. she has a relative take care of her five kids. eventually, she comes before the judge. the judge says, we will give you a couple hundred dollars as a fine, if you plead guilty, and we will call it a day. she says ok. she pleads guilty, and she thinks to herself, i will never pay the fine, and she gets the guy who also pleaded guilty, and they have a big party. they thing, this is all over with, and a couple minu...