Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 2023
Abstract
This Article addresses a question asked by many law students concerned about our flawed criminal legal system: should they become a prosecutor in an office run by a progressive prosecutor, or a public defender in an office devoted to zealous, client-centered (or holistic) defense? The Article starts with an anecdote about Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s road show to recruit law students and young lawyers, and then proceeds as follows: First, this Article makes the case for progressive prosecution; then, it makes the case for zealous indigent defense; then, it identifies the obstacles and challenges for both kinds of lawyers and offers a brief comment on prosecutor and defender “personalities;” finally, it offers thoughts on who, in the end, has more power to make meaningful change.
Publication Citation
American Criminal Law Review, Vol. 60, No. 4, Pp. 1517.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Smith, Abbe, "Progressive Prosecution or Zealous Public Defense? The Choice for Law Students Concerned About Our Flawed Criminal Legal System" (2023). Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works. 2561.
https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/2561