I'm glad there are former defence lawyers working in prosecution now.

My problem with prosecutors is that their KPIs inherently incentivise convictions. They are proud to say they have an 87%+ conviction rate.

It's not even just about convicting the innocent, although that's the most egregious thing they do.

It's about all the shady underhanded tactics they engage in to over-convict people who are guilty of something but not necessarily guilty of the particular harsh felony that they're being charged with. For example people being charged with first degree murder for clear manslaughter cases, so that they will be pressured to take a deal for a high sentence. For example avoiding putting evidence into their reports that will shed doubt on their case and thereby preventing defence lawyers from accessing that data as well. Their intention is not to find the truth and create the most appropriate rehabilitation/punishment to prevent crime. It's instead to win. And winning means the highest conviction possible as opposed to the defence's "lowest conviction possible".

As someone who is in a relationship with someone convicted of manslaughter and first degree assault (because he took a plea deal, as he was facing murder charges for a case where he was in a psychotic state due to magic mushrooms and existing mental illness) - I was a witness in his case, and I had my eyes opened as to the underhanded tactics the prosecution used to get my partner to cave and sign the plea agreement. For example destroying blood samples that showed negative for the presence of psylocibin. And they even pressured him to agree to an illegal sentence (consecutive for the identical crime) because his public defender never told him it was an illegal sentence. So only years later did we find out and I have to spend thousands on a lawyer to challenge the illegal sentence in court.

I hope progressive prosecutors will bring reform. But there needs to be structural changes that remove the main incentives for bad prosecutors. Specifically KPIs in the job that reward high conviction rates as opposed to rewarding appropriate responses to the actual crime committed.