Department of
Criminology and Criminal Justice

From the book chapter:

"It is widely understood that prosecutors are powerful actors in the criminal justice system.¹ Yet for years, prosecutors have operated largely outside of public view, leaving judges to serve as the public face of the criminal justice system.² In the 1980s, state and federal governments created sentencing guidelines intended to increase uniformity. But such measures only accelerated the shift of discretionary power from judges toward prosecutors.³ Today, some observers contend that prosecutors are the most powerful players in the criminal justice system,⁴ serving as “crucial gatekeepers between the police and the courts.”⁵ Importantly, it is prosecutors who decide which cases even make it to a judge."