Let's Get Free: A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice

Should Good People Be Prosecutors?

New York University School of Law

October 28, 2009
NYU School of Law, New York City, NY

At the the October 28 installment of the NYU Law Forum, Professor Paul Butler and Anthony Barkow, executive director for the NYU School of Law's Center on the Administration of Criminal Law, discussed the topic of one chapter of Professor Paul Butler's book, Let's Get Free: "Should good people be prosecutors?"

Butler argued that, because prosecutors enforce unjust policies and depend on unjust police actions, Butler argues that the efforts of good people would be wasted as prosecutors. Barkow disagreed, responding that line prosecutors can and do make discretionary decisions that allow them to work within the law to have influential voices in cases; he argues that “the line prosecutors making all these discretionary decisions are really kind of driving the bus most of the time.”

Video of the event is available below.