"Prosecutorial Discretion: An Imperative for Effective Prosecution in the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47067/real.v6i2.351Keywords:
Administrative Discretion, Criminal Justice System, Effective Prosecution, Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service, Prosecutorial DiscretionAbstract
In a welfare state, the necessity for a certain level of discretion is widely acknowledged. Discretion plays a crucial role in law enforcement practices and is essential for the effective administration of justice. Within international Criminal Justice Systems, prosecutors have a pivotal responsibility in upholding the rule of law. Given their position within the executive branch, prosecutorial discretion becomes imperative. It is vital to observe that discretion itself is not inherently damaging; however, unchecked and absolute discretion can lead to adverse outcomes. The goal should not be the elimination of discretion, but rather its structured implementation. Within the realm of the criminal justice system, where both the law enforcement agencies and the court possess considerable discretion in pursuit of justice, it follows that the prosecution should also possess a degree of discretion. Without equipping the prosecution with essential discretionary tools, the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service would be unable to effectively fulfill its role in criminal justice system. Consequently, the time has come to empower the prosecution with the necessary discretion it requires, especially the discretion to decide whether to prosecute or not which stands as a vital prerogative that prosecutors must possess to uphold the justice.
References
Albonetti, C. A. (1987). Prosecutorial discretion: The effects of uncertainty. Law and society review, 291-313.
Albonetti, C. A., & Hepburn, J. R. (1996). Prosecutorial discretion to defer criminalization: The effects of defendant's ascribed and achieved status characteristics. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 12, 63-81.;
Ashworth, A. (1984). Prosecution, police and public—a guide to good gatekeeping?. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 23(2), 65-87.
Baker, D. B., & Hassan, S. (2021). Gender and prosecutorial discretion: An empirical assessment. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 31(1), 73-90.
Beale, S. S. (2014). Prosecutorial Discretion in Three Systems: Balancing Conflicting Goals and Providing Mechanisms for Control. Available at SSRN 2433732.
Bellin, J. (2019). The power of prosecutors. NYUL Rev., 94, 171.
Bibas, S. (2009). The need for prosecutorial discretion. Temp. Pol. & Civ. Rts. L. Rev., 19, 369.
Bilal, A., & Batool, S. S. (2022). Determinants of Quality of Life of Public Prosecutors in Pakistan. Multicultural Education, 8(10).
Bronitt, S. H., & Stenning, P. (2011). Understanding discretion in modern policing. Criminal law journal, 35(6), 319-332..
Cowdery, N. (2011). Dying with dignity. Living Ethics: Newsletter of the St. James Ethics Centre, (86), 12-13.
Davis, A. J. (2018). The progressive prosecutor: An imperative for criminal justice reform. Fordham L. Rev. Online, 87, 8.
Davis, K. C. (1970). Discretionary justice. Journal of Legal Education, 23(1), 56-62.
Fazal Karim, The Law of Criminal Procedure (Pakistan Law House, 2010).
Fisher, D. (1992). Fifth Amendment--Prosecutorial Discretion Not Absolute: Constitutional Limits on Decision Not to File Susbstantial Assistance Motions. J. Crim. L. & Criminology, 83, 744.
Frederick, B., & Stemen, D. (2012). The Anatomy of Discretion: An Analysis of Prosecutorial Decision Making Technical Report.
Gabriela Knaul (2015). Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Accessed from https://shorturl.at/svyEU
Ghani, A., Ayub, Z. A., & Ras, M. M. (2022). Innocent Until Proven Guilty: Addressing Problem of Criminal Investigation in Pakistan: 10.2478/bjlp-2022-002083. Baltic Journal of Law & Politics, 15(3), 1193-1208.
Goodin, R. E. (2020). Welfare, rights and discretion. Welfare Law, 433–462. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003073246-23.
Green, B. A. (1998). Why should prosecutors seek justice. Fordham Urb. LJ, 26, 607.
Green, B. A. (2003). Prosecutorial ethics as usual. U. Ill. L. Rev., 1573.
Green, B. A. (2018). Prosecutorial Discretion: The Difficulty and Necessity of Public Inquiry. Dickinson L. Rev., 123, 589..
Green, B. A., & Levine, S. J. (2016). Disciplinary regulation of prosecutors as a remedy for abuses of prosecutorial discretion: A descriptive and normative analysis. Ohio St. J. Crim. L., 14, 143.
Green, B. A., & Zacharias, F. C. (2002). Regulating Federal Prosecutor's Ethics. Vand. L. Rev., 55, 381.
Green, B., & Yaroshefsky, E. (2016). Prosecutorial Accountability 2.0. Notre Dame L. Rev., 92, 51.
Imran Sajid, Amir Asad, and Uzma Ashiq, Juvenile Courts in Pakistan: Structure, Processes, and Issues 12 (January 1, 2020): 45–60.
Jamshed, J. (2018). Criminal Justice System of Pakistan: An Overview. Available at SSRN 3152735..
Jamshed, J., Javed, M. W., Bukhari, S. W. R., & Safdar, A. (2020). Role of Police Investigation in the criminal justice system of Pakistan. International Journal of Management Research and Emerging Sciences, 10(2)..
Kempinen, B. (2006). The Ethics of Prosecutor Contact with the Unrepresented Defendant. Geo. J. Legal Ethics, 19, 1147.
Khalil, I., Usman, A., & Amjad, A. (2021). Challenges faced by prosecutors in the administration of justice in Pakistan. PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 18(10), 2641-2651.
Langbein, J. H. (1974). Controlling prosecutorial discretion in Germany. The University of Chicago Law Review, 41(3), 439-467.
Lewis, C. (2010). Recent changes in the English public prosecution service. Pakistan journal of criminology, 4, 71-82.
Mirza, M. (2010). Role and Responsibilities of the Public Prosecution: A Case Study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 2(3).
Molander, A. (2016). Discretion in the welfare state: Social rights and professional judgment (Vol. 129). Taylor & Francis..
Molander, A., Grimen, H., & Eriksen, E. O. (2012). Professional discretion and accountability in the welfare state. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 29(3), 214-230.
Mughal, J. R. (2014). Law as to the public prosecutors in Pakistan: Cases and materials [Part ix, Ch. Xxxviii, Ss. 492-495 of the code of criminal procedure, 1898]. Available at SSRN 2494632.
O'Neill, M. E. (2004). Understanding federal prosecutorial declinations: an empirical analysis of predictive factors. Am. Crim. L. Rev., 41, 1439.
Rabin, R. L. (1971). Agency criminal referrals in the federal system: An empirical study of prosecutorial discretion. Stan. L. Rev., 24, 1036.
Rajput, M. A., & Benavides-Vanegas, F. S. (2022). Reformation of Criminal Justice System of Pakistan.
Rajput, M. A., & Rajput, M. R. (2020). Impact of Defective Investigation and Prosecution on Trial. Social Sciences, 9(6), 265-268.
Ramzan Kasuri, D. M. (2021). Globalization of Prosecutorial Justice: An Appraisal. Global Political Review, VI (II), 67-78.
Ramzan Kasuri, D. M., Mahmood, A. U. K., & Ahmed, G. (2021). Proactive Role of Public Prosecutors in the Administration of Criminal Justice: A Way Forward for Pakistan. Global Legal Studies Review.
Sager, M. A., & Afzal, A. (2022). Impacts of police investigation on low conviction rate & criminal justice system: a study of district Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. Journal of ISOSS, 8(3), 296-312.
Samuels, A. (1986). Crown Prosecution Service. The Journal of Criminal Law, 50(4), 432-441.
Sanders, A. (1986). An independent Crown Prosecution service. Criminal Law Review, 16-27.
Sepulveda, C., & Wilenmann, J. (2022). Structuring prosecutorial power. Legal Studies, 42(4), 680-695..
Shah, S. (2016). Poor prosecution plays havoc with judicial system. The News International, available at https://rb.gy/5tm8p
Sharpling, D. (2006). The Developing Role of the Crown Prosecution Service. Inter Alia, 40.
Shermer, L. O. N., & Johnson, B. D. (2010). Criminal prosecutions: Examining prosecutorial discretion and charge reductions in US federal district courts. Justice Quarterly, 27(3), 394-430.
Smith, R. J., & Levinson, J. D. (2011). The impact of implicit racial bias on the exercise of prosecutorial discretion. Seattle UL Rev., 35, 795.
Stenhouse, M. (2013). P OLICY B RIEF-Protecting Citizens from Unjust Prosecution.
Sultan, S. (2016). An appraisal of public prosecution system in Punjab. Stan. L. Rev., 34, 1039.
Thomas III, G. C. (2004). Discretion and Criminal Law: The Good, the Bad, and the Mundane. Penn St. L. Rev., 109, 1043.
Vaishnav, S., & Marwaha, K. (2015). Judiciary: A Ladder between Inevitable Administrative Discretion and Good Governance. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies, 2(2)..
Wells, N. D. (1998). Prosecution as an Administrative System: Some Fairness Concerns. Cap. UL Rev., 27, 841.
West, W. F. (1984). Structuring administrative discretion: The pursuit of rationality and responsiveness. American Journal of Political Science, 340-360.
Widdicombe, B. (2021). Decision-making in the Crown Prosecution Service: How do prosecutors make case decisions? (Doctoral dissertation, University of Cambridge).
Wright, M. S., Baughman, S. B., & Robertson, C. (2021). Inside the Black Box of Prosecutor Discretion. UC Davis L. Rev., 55, 2133.
Zacharias, F. C., & Green, B. A. (1999). The Uniqueness of Federal Prosecutors. Geo. LJ, 88, 207.
Zaidi, S. M. A. (2016). Terrorism prosecution in Pakistan. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace.
CASE LAWS
Sohail Nasir and Ahmad Nadeem Arshad, Shagufta Sarwar ADPP v Special Judge Anti Terrorism Court, 2022 PCrLJ 1594
Muhammad Amjad Rafiq, J, Muhammad Usman Ghani v the State, PLD 2023 Lahore 291.
Rooh-ul-Amin Khan, J, Syed Maqbool Shah v the State, 2021 YLR 1517 (n.d.).
Sagheer Ahmad Qadri, J, Azizullah Khan v S.H.O. Police Station Sadar Mianwali and 4 others, 2013 PCr.LJ 1411 (n.d.);
Muhammad Amjad Rafiq, J, Muhammad Usman Ghani v the State, PLD 2023 Lahore 291
Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhary, C.J., Nadeem alias Deema v District Public Prosecuotr Sialkot, 2012 PCrLJ 1823
Ch. Fawad Ahmad and others v Government of the Punjab and others, 2023LHC3967 (n.d.)
Muhammad Amjad Rafiq, J, Muhammad Usman Ghani v the State, PLD 2023 Lahore 291.
Ch. Fawad Ahmad and others v Government of the Punjab and others, 2023LHC3967.
Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78 (1935), Justia Law, accessed August 9, 2023, https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/295/78/.
