Article
Prosecutorial Misconduct in Capital Cases in the Commonwealth of Kentucky: A Research Study 1976-2000
Kentucky Justice & Safety Research Bulletin
Abstract
The prosecutor wields tremendous power within the American criminal justice system. When that power is misused-particularly in capital cases-tremendous injustices are perpetrated. Yet, occurrences of prosecutorial misconduct seem to occur with distressing regularity. An exhaustive study covering appeals from 1973-95 revealed that two-thirds of overturned death penalties in the United States resulted from overzealous police and prosecutors who withheld exculpatory evidence. Our study covered 55 Kentucky cases from 1976-2000 and found evidence of prosecutorial misconduct in nearly one-half of them, often with several instances per case.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2004
Disciplines
Citation Information
Roberta M. Harding and Bankole Thompson. "Prosecutorial Misconduct in Capital Cases in the Commonwealth of Kentucky: A Research Study 1976-2000" Kentucky Justice & Safety Research Bulletin Vol. 6 Iss. 1 (2004) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/roberta_harding/15/
Roberta M. Harding & Bankole Thompson, Prosecutorial Misconduct in Capital Cases in the Commonwealth of Kentucky: A Research Study 1976-2000, 6 Ky. Just. & Safety Res. Bull. 1 (2004).