A public prosecutor usually works for a city or county and is responsible for prosecuting all criminal and civil court cases that fall under their jurisdiction. When a crime is committed, law enforcement officials usually turn over the reports to the public prosecutor. The public prosecutor will then review the case to determine which crime or crimes were committed, as well as whether there is enough evidence to prosecute the alleged perpetrators. If the prosecutor decides to proceed with the trial, she will weigh any potential plea bargains and bail issues before beginning the pre-trial investigation.
The public prosecutor is in charge of an office of investigators, clerks, and paralegals who look into crimes, criminal backgrounds, and other criminal cases. The public prosecutor will take the case to court once the investigation is completed. The investigation usually begins as soon as a potential crime is discovered. The prosecutor is usually informed of the crime and given a copy of the initial reports and evidence after the police have completed their level of investigation. The public prosecutor will actually arrive at the crime scene in some cases, such as murder, kidnapping, and child abuse, to conduct preliminary investigations, take photographs, and assist in the preservation of evidence.
The public prosecutor will tell the investigators what kind of evidence they should look for in some cases. All of this is done to bolster any pending case and ensure that the evidence is not thrown out due to improper collection or mishandling. A trial date will be set with the court and all parties will be notified once enough evidence has been collected and the prosecutor is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial. Some crimes in the United States require a grand jury hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed.
During a trial, the public prosecutor will question witnesses or experts who have been called to give their expert opinion on the trial’s facts. The prosecutor will also cross-examine witnesses presented by the defense team in an attempt to show that they are untrustworthy in the eyes of the jury or judge. The public prosecutor will conduct a post-trial investigation and present the findings, as well as any sentencing recommendations, to the judge once the trial is completed and the prosecution has won. Occasionally, the prosecutor’s office will be asked to call witnesses to testify in support of the findings of the post-sentence investigation.