Should Good People Be Prosecutors Analysis

Chapter 9 - Should Good People Be Prosecutors? It is somewhat an oxymoron to consider yourself a prosecutor and a good person. Paul Butler writes describing the discrepancies with progressive prosecutors who believes they are able to change the “definition” of a prosecutor. Butler defines a prosecutor as someone one who is “more part of the problem than the solution” and a person who is “geared toward punishing people whose lives are already messed up.” Furthermore, Butler qualifies his definition of a prosecutor by saying the job of some prosecutors is to “mitigate the harshness of the system.” This is a failed attempt to mend the system because their principal work applies the criminal laws instead of ameliorating its negative effects.
According to Abbe Smith,
The second systems is the panel program, Lastly, the third is the contract system. Bach describes the public defender structure in which full time defense lawyers are employed by the state, and are provided with central legal research tools. In contrast, the panel program is a system in which “private attorneys on a pre-approved list are appointed and paid to represent indigent defendants as needed.” Further, the third option for defense is the contract system in which one or several contracted attorneys within one more or more counties to represent a fixed or maximum number of cases for a certain fee. Nevertheless, all of the defense systems have their own flaws. Public defenders are usually overworked and unpaid as they are dealing with a multitude of cases at one time. A panel program systems brings the problem of attorney selection. The judge usually makes the attorney assignment which may affect the independence of the attorney who depends on the selection of the judge for his or her source of income. Although preferred the contract system because it is easier to administer, but it also gives judges implicit power over