Prosecutors who intentionally withhold or falsify evidence could be charged with a felony under a new bill winding through the state Legislature.

The proposal by Assemblywoman Patty Lopez, D-San Fernando, comes as prosecutors in Orange County face accusations that they’ve routinely misused jailhouse informants and withheld information from defense attorneys.

But the problem of prosecutorial misconduct predates Orange County’s snitch controversy. A 2010 study by Santa Clara University School of Law looked at misconduct statewide, concluding: “Courts fail to report prosecutorial misconduct (despite having a statutory obligation to do so), prosecutors deny that it occurred, and the California State Bar almost never disciplines it…The problem is critical.”

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/county-725339-prosecutors-orange.html

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