Why Pro-defendant Criminal Procedure Might Hurt the Innocent

Nuno Garoupa (University of Illinois - College of Law)
Matteo Rizzolli (University of Milan - Bicocca)

Abstract: Mandatory disclosure of evidence and double jeopardy are considered to be among the most important bulwarks against prosecutorial misconducts. While protecting the generality of defendants in the criminal process, we show that under certain reasonable assumptions, these procedural mechanisms hurt innocent defendants by inducing prosecutors to adjust their behavior and thus triggering adverse practices.


Download the paper