Conviction rates are high in Japan. Why? First, Japanese prosecutors are badly understaffed. Able to bring only their strongest cases, they could be presenting judges only with the most obviously guilty defendants. High conviction rates would then follow naturally. Crucially, however, this is not the full story, for Japanese judges face seriously biased incentives. A judge who acquits a defenda...

The article examines epistemic emotions as part of the emotive-cognitive processes prosecutors’ knowledge seeking and decision making in preliminary investigation court proceedings. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, shadowing prosecutors Sweden, we show how motivate orient inquiries fundamental role ‘certainty–doubt spiral’ for ‘doing objectivity’. In conclusion, discuss centrality...

What does it mean for prosecutors to seek justice? How independent should prosecutors be in endeavoring to seek justice? And how should their professional independence be secured? These fundamental questions lie beneath the surface of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos, 126 S. Ct. 1951 (2006). The case arose out of a lawsuit filed by Richard Ceballos, a deputy district ...

This paper deals with the issue of independence Prosecutor’s Office Slovak Republic as an attribute that allows to actually carry out its mission, regardless individual interests parties concerned and government’s political goals basic beliefs. In first chapter, current constitutional regulation in context legal independence. The author points problems arise from absence granting emphasizes nee...

Research Summary Progressive chief prosecutors, campaigning on platforms calling for reducing prison populations and racial/ethnic disparities, have been elected in numerous jurisdictions across the United States recent years. Yet, there is no empirical research that compares case outcomes between headed by progressive traditional prosecutors. In this research, we utilize a cumulative outcome a...

Competent terminally ill persons have a right to choose the time and manner of their death. This choice is protected by the constitutional right to privacy. This Note contends that the protection afforded by the right to privacy extends to individuals whose assistance is necessary to help competent terminal patients end their lives. It proposes guidelines for both prosecutors and courts to ensu...