OPINION:
The news is filled with stories in which grossly negligent decisions by prosecutors and judges result in horrific crimes. Such poor decisions also contribute in a major way to a rise in crime.
Often the crimes that make the news can be traced to a decision or decisions prosecutors and judges make. Following George Floyd’s death, the cries of “defund the police” and “eliminate qualified immunity for police” were all the rage. Now we see that defunding the police was a huge mistake (“Traumatized police prone to bad decisions; stress symptoms, suicides up,” Web, Feb. 15).
The increase in crime is shining a spotlight on decisions by prosecutors. Crimes that would previously have been charged as felonies, such as armed robbery, are now at the whim of a prosecutor, reduced to misdemeanors or no longer prosecuted at all. These changes re-rendering our cities as dangerous as they were decades ago and placing our police at grave risk.
No matter what the law defines as a crime, the final decision about whether to prosecute rests with prosecutors. This “prosecutorial discretion” has led to criminals with horrendous arrests and convictions being released after being arrested again and again — only to go on committing crimes. The police do their job and prosecutors and judges undo their good work. This must stop. It is not “social justice.” It is “social homicide.”
Prosecutors are as close to autocrats as currently exists in our body politic. These autocrats hold the keys to our peace and safety, and waiting for elections is not sensible, as much damage is done in the time between elections. What is needed is a way to hold judges and prosecutors accountable for clearly negligent and incomprehensible policies and decisions. Police enjoy only qualified immunity. Why do prosecutors and judges enjoy absolute immunity? A change to the immunity laws regarding prosecutors and judges is in order.
ED OBLOY
Bristow, Virginia
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