Prosecutorial Misconduct Resulting in Wrongful Conviction in Massachusetts

• In Event: Miscarriages of Justice: Prosecutorial Misconduct

Abstract

I will examine Massachusetts cases of wrongful conviction involving prosecutorial misconduct to determine how many instances there were and what, if any, consequences there were for the prosecutors in question. A similar study by the ACLU of New Jersey (Shalom and Thomas 2012, Trial and Error: A Comprehensive Study of Prosecutorial Conduct in New Jersey) found relatively low rates of misconduct but no consequences even for prosecutors responsible for misconduct in multiple cases. Similar results were found in Calfornia (Ridolfi and Possley 2010, Preventable Error: A Report on Prosecutorial Misconduct in California, 1997-2009).

Author

• Randall Grometstein, Fitchburg State University