Posted by: Ed Chernoff
August 16, 2006

Some disclaimers first. I'm in a bar, enjoying a crown and diet coke after a difficult day with a domestic violence prosecutor. Second, this is our firm's blog and my opinion so unless you walk in my Alden's, screw you. (And  to all those out there in cyber land who choose to respond in typical fashion, I mean that in the nicest possible way.) My bitch?  I believe that the criminal justice system provides too much power to women. My experience has been, if a woman says it - a) charges will be filed, b) plea bargain offers will vary according to the vengence level of the female (something that changes on a daily basis, and c) cases will never be dismissed, despite a patently absurd claim or clear evidence that the woman is lying. Ironically, if the woman wishes to rectify her lies and ask for a dismissal, the prosecutor just assumes she is being manipulated so both the "victim" and the innocent citizen are dragged throughout the court system.

Cops are trained to arrest in any domestic violence situation no matter what they believe. And trust me, if a man has one story and the woman another, belief is a one way valve. Some cops are pretty good at insinuating the messy situation in their offense reports, but most just try to justify the arrest. It's cowardice really, but not nearly as chicken shit as prosecutors who would rather take a case to trial and lose than to dismiss the case in the first place. I miss the old days and maybe it's just nostalgia, but I remember when prosecutors weren't afraid to trust their own decisions. I remember when even the female DA's had balls.

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