The Prosecutor's Duty to 'Imperfect' Rape Victims
Texas Tech Law Review, Vol 49:219 (2016)
30 Pages Posted: 3 Mar 2017
Date Written: February 1, 2016
Abstract
This Article considers the ethical obligation that prosecutors owe imperfect rape victims. Although scholars agree that a prosecutor should not try to convict an innocent person just because the prosecutor would probably win at trial, scant attention has been paid to how a prosecutor should treat a culpable person when the prosecutor would almost certainly lose. This Article contends that when victims are highly vulnerable or are otherwise unattractive to jurors, prosecutors have a special obligation to take their claims seriously. This includes meeting with local police and taking a second look at allegations that might be unfounded or just unsolved. Further, this Article argues that taking such cases to trial has value even if there is no conviction. Doing so increases the legitimacy of the criminal justice system by showing that all victims matter, and it may deter future attacks because victims will no longer be considered easy prey.
Keywords: Imperfect victim, rape, prosecutor's duty, justice, Officer Holtzclaw, criminal law
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