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Contempt For The Rights Of Man: The Role Of Prosecutorial Misconduct In Virginia Capital Cases, Fay F. Spence

Fay F Spence

From reinstatement of the death penalty in Virginia in 1977, until January 2001, 132 Virginia defendants have been sentenced to death. Approximately 70% of the federal post-conviction proceedings in these cases allege some form of prosecutorial misconduct. This article discusses the appellate and post-conviction treatment of the prosecutorial misconduct allegations in each of these cases. Three cases were actually reversed because of misconduct. Courts recognized prosecutorial misconduct in another 14 cases, but held it to be “harmless error.” In 32 of the cases, the courts refused to address the allegations of misconduct, finding the issue to be “procedurally defaulted.” In …