How can Prosecuting Attorneys get away with prosecuting anyone they want, for anything they want?

Question

Some just want to make a name for themselves. Justice is not served! Who keeps track of them when they are putting an unusual amount of people in jails/prisons or on probation?

Answer 1

They just can.  The voters are responsible to keep track of them.  The Bar Association can remove their legal license if they do something illegal, but rarely does.

Answer 2

That is exactly why I think plea bargains should be done away with. The states attorney pads his record with cheap wins. Some criminals get reduced sentences that they should not receive and innocent people are forced to plead guilty to crimes they did not commit because of lengthy sentencing!  

Answer 3

The District Attorney's office keeps track of the prosecutors working within their office. The District Attorney is an elected position. If he abuses power, he will be voted out. If there is serious wrongdoing, the Attorney General of the state has the power to take criminal cases away from the DA's office and bring criminal charges, particularly in political cases, such as against prosecutors. If there is a violation of federal laws, such as violation of civil rights, the justice department can bring charges as well. You can also file civil suits in certain circumstances.

All of these things are very rare, though.

EDIT: Nasdismy, prosecutors are not rich. It is among the lower end of pay scales for lawyers. Government lawyers never make anywhere near the salaries of their counterparts with similar experience in the private sector. Whether or not their powerful depends on how high up they are in the DA's office and how the state functions. Selfish is, of course, a case by case basis.

Answer 4

what planet are you on? our system of justice is full of checks and balances such as you ask about.

I don't know what sparked such an outrageous and vague qwustin - I suspect you have something more specific in mind, and I am not saying justice is perfect.

but your question is really ill-formed, and doesn't lend itself to any rational answer.

But if you have ever been in a courtroom, or even seen a picture of one, you would know that prosecutors do not have unfettered discretion on who to prosecute, and they most certainly do not decide who  goes to prison or for how long.

Answer 5

Three reasons, they are selfish, rich, and powerful. Easy as that!

Answer 6

Prosecutors do have a lot of power, but the idea that they can prosecute anybody for "anything they want" is a pretty big exaggeration. In the first place, there must be a law on the books before they can file charges, and then show the charge meets all criteria defined in the law itself. Then a judge presides at an initial hearing, and attorneys do their thing--prosecutors don't put people in jail, and they don't put them on probation. A defendant agrees to a plea deal if the odds are good of conviction on the evidence, and/or on the advice of their own attorney. It may seem the prosecutor holds all the cards, but that's really not true.