Conviction-rate pressure leads prosecutors to drop weak cases rather than risk losing.
Evidence
But they have considerable leeway in conducting cases, as long as they safeguard the prosecutor’s reputation by maintaining a high conviction … The emphasis on convictions affects how assistant prosecutors view cases. Often “they prefer dismissing charges to subjecting themselves to be) possible criticism for ‘losing. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1649
Categorization
- SEED: Angle: bureaucratic incentive structures, not legal merit, quietly decide which charges survive.
- XREF: connects to: Guilty pleas, not trials, now dominate criminal case disposition; Prosecutors dismiss convictable cases when prosecution would not serve justice — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1675; Higher dismissal rates for minority defendants may mask prosecutorial screening rather than signal leniency — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 567 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- Higher dismissal rates for minority defendants may mask prosecutorial screening rather than signal leniency
#expands(1.00) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 567 - Prosecutors, not judges, dominate U.S. criminal outcomes via plea bargaining
#responds-to(0.90) - Guilty pleas, not trials, now dominate criminal case disposition
#complicates(0.85) - Prosecutors dismiss convictable cases when prosecution would not serve justice
#contradicts(0.80) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 1675