New Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Program Will Address Police Conduct, Prosecutorial Unfairness Claims
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is making changes it says will enhance transparency and accountability.
The office announced Wednesday that it’s creating a Prosecution Integrity Program.
The program is designed to address issues that are traditionally pursued by defense organizations. This includes claims of actual innocence, excessive use-of-force by police and unfair handling of cases by prosecutors.
County Attorney Allister Adel says longtime prosecutor Rachel Mitchell will oversee the program.
Mitchell will study similar units in other agencies, and work with prosecutors within the office as well as defense organizations outside the office to review and address claims.
“While these types of matters have been regularly addressed by individual prosecutors and supervisors, I believe we can more effectively address these issues by centralizing the process," said Adel in a press release. "As county attorney, I am committed to making changes where necessary to maximize efficiency and to ensure that our work was being completed in the most ethical and professional manner possible."
The announcement comes a week after the ACLU released a report condemning what it called concerning patterns of racial disparities within the office’s prosecution practices.
