Prosecution Quality versus Corruption and Incompetence
Here is an article about a Washington State policeman, who was framed by his supervisor (who was also having an affair with his wife).
Clyde Ray Spencer article from National Parent’s Organisation website
Clyde Ray Spencer article from Glenn Sacks website
Washington State’s Wrongfully Convicted article from Seattle News about the investigating detective who found the evidence to exonerate Clyde Ray Spencer. There must be many cases which should be resolved, but where the evidence cannot be found 2 or 3 decades afterwards.
The cruellest point made in these articles, is that in almost every single one of these cases where exoneration has been the outcome, the perjurors have never been prosecuted or disciplined in any way.
This is a close echo of false complainants extremely rarely being prosecuted.
The other common thread, is prosecution not honouring the accused’s right to discovery of all information held by the prosecution, in particular information which might support a conclusion of innocence.
While complainants and prosecutors and police are not subject to any pressures to honour discovery, these serious abuses of justice will continue.
Perhaps even worse, when one prosecutor has been shown to have used fraud and perjury, no effort is made to follow up other cases handled by the same prosecutor or policeman.
Compare that attitude to “getting it right”, to the way aeroplane crashes are investigated. The approach is to avoid politics and get the facts out into view. If a plane is shown to have a built in defect, as soon as the solution is proven, it must be retrofitted to all other similarly affected aeroplanes.
I believe that failure to reinvestigate old suspect convictions is a serious problem in NZ, for example Teina Pora case. Similarly, there almost certainly are a significant number of men and women in NZ prisons on non-factual evidence, but due to the non investigation of related cases, they continue to rot in jail.
All of these situations bring out our failure to manage conflicts of interest. This is what opens the door to corruption.
Are unmanaged conflicts of interest hazardous to our children and our wealth?
So true these corrupt allegations are everywhere.
Comment by andrew — Wed 9th April 2014 @ 4:24 pm
Yes I was guilty, but I was prosecuted on the basis of Constance Briscoe’s deception
>>>Cases Constance Briscoe prosecuted could be reopened in aftermath of trial
Revenge for Chris Huhne who suspected Constance Briscoe from start
Constance Briscoe jailed for 16 months for perverting course of justice
Judge Constance Briscoe found guilty of lying to police
Judge Constance Briscoe arrested
Constance Briscoe Overview
Noteworthy issues brought out in this entertaining english case:
1. The UK are willing to prosecute perjurors.
2. The police are willing and able to prosecute judges, when they don’t have strong family connections.
3. There will be proactive checks on old cases that she prosecuted, for false evidence.
In NZ, when attention is drawn to systemic problems in prosecution, judges or police, only the minimum necessary investigations are carried out to assuage public media interest, not substantive investigations.
As a result, there are quite a few men in jail, wrongly convicted of serious offences. Fortunately, every single one of them lacks strong high society connections and has burglary offences that they weren’t picked up for, so it doesn’t really matter.
Comment by MurrayBacon — Mon 5th May 2014 @ 10:43 am
Does one perjury prosecution of a part time judge in England prove anything about judicial integrity in NZ?
Does a single (private) prosecution of a NZ policeman for perjury say anything about the quality and reliability of police evidence in court?
If NZ fired judges at the same rate as England or California, we would be firing a judge every 2 or 3 years, on average. If we have never fired a judge in NZ in 150 years, what does that say about judicial integrity in NZ?
I hope that you can stop laughing……….
Comment by MurrayBacon — Mon 5th May 2014 @ 10:59 am
Demanding Accountability in Maine
Comment by MurrayBacon — Sun 8th June 2014 @ 7:31 pm
Example of prosecution’s need for statistics publicly showing their success:
Given the limited resources available for prosecutors, it is important that they target the greatest social ills in the community.
Undercover Officer Befriends Bipolar and Autistic Teen, Convinces Him To Buy Pot For Him, Then Arrests Him
1, July 17, 2014 by jonathanturley
Badge_of_the_Riverside_County_Sheriff’s_DepartmentThe video below has been released in a lawsuit over a highly disturbing case where a Riverside undercover officer befriended a 17-year-old boy with autism and convinced him to buy pot for him. They then arrested him and added him to their list of drug war statistics. Before the arrest, in addition to autism, their son had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Tourette syndrome and anxiety disorders.
The teenager was one of 21 other high school students arrested on drug-dealing charges as part of a sting operation last December at Chaparral High School in Temecula, Calif. and neighboring schools. His parents, Catherine and Doug Snodgrass, are suing the Temecula Valley School District, alleging negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They say that their son has autism and did not have friends. That made him an ideal target for the undercover officer who befriended him. His parents were excited that he had made a friend. The video from the arrest is heart-breaking when the kid realized that Deputy Daniel Zipperstein of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in uniform was his friend, Daniel.
They say that Zipperstein hounded their son to sell him marijuana or his prescription medication and that after more than three weeks of constant pressure, the teen bought a half-joint from a homeless man and gave it to the officer. Half a joint. He then was convinced to make a second small buy but then refused to do it again. He was then arrested. Quite a trophy.
The parents say that the autistic teen is still reeling from the betrayal and arrest, including insomnia, panic attacks, depression, paranoia and infliction of self-injury, his parents said.
The Riverside Sheriff’s office has brushed aside the public outcry over the case and said that it ‘followed all pertinent laws and the case was reviewed by the DA’s Office. Had there been entrapment issues, the DA’s Office would not have filed the case.’
In such case, the need for reform includes both the police and prosecutors.
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If you follow the link above, you will see a 20 minute documentary giving further details about the case, or here:
Comment by MurrayBacon — Sun 20th July 2014 @ 7:54 pm