For over 40 years New Yorkers have been protected from bad judges by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct that has served as an independent bi-partisan oversight agency for judges. Since 1975 the Commission has disciplined 1,107 Judges for engaging in misconduct, has cleared judges unfairly accused of misconduct, and recommended best practices which improve our courts. It makes sense that prosecutors should be subjected to the same kind of oversight as judges.

New York is second in America in the number of wrongful convictions that are produced each year. Only Texas has more wrongful convictions. No agency in New York disciplines prosecutors, identifies the mistakes that lead to wrongful prosecutions and convictions, or keeps records about the errors that prosecutors make.

A prosecutor can withhold evidence of a defendant’s innocence, send an innocent person to jail for decades, and when the truth finally comes out and compensation has been paid for a wrongful conviction, the same prosecutor can go on engaging in the same conduct without any consequences. Wrongful prosecutions may result in an acquittal. Yet the individual and family remain scarred for life both personally and financially.

Prosecutors ensure that those who break the law face consequences, yet there are no consequences when they break their own rules. Licensed professionals including judges, police, doctors, teachers, accountants, engineers, even beauticians face consequences for breaking rules of conduct.