Prosecutors who withhold discovery are not just bending the rules—they’re burying justice. It’s not negligence. It’s not oversight. It’s deliberate misconduct.
When a crime happens, police descend, question witnesses, grab what evidence they can, and zero in on a suspect. But let’s be real: they’re not psychics. They miss things—sometimes right in front of them. Witnesses lie, dodge questions, and blur facts. Body cams now capture these chaotic early moments, but they don’t fix the mess—they just record it.
Then the prosecutors step in. They file charges fast. But the discovery—the very evidence that could exonerate the accused—is locked away for weeks, sometimes months. They stall. They sit on it. Why? Because time kills defense cases. Witnesses vanish. Memories fade. Physical evidence slips through the cracks. And the prosecutors know it.
Judges look the other way. And the defense? Most of them shrug and play along.
This isn’t just a procedural hiccup. It’s a systematic denial of due process. It’s sabotage. And it happens every day in courtrooms across America.
So where’s the defense bar? Where are the warriors for justice? Where is the outrage? The lawsuits? The legislative demands? The courtroom fights to expose this practice for what it is—an institutionalized cover-up?
Criminal defense investigators should be testifying before state legislatures and Congress, exposing this obstruction for the constitutional crisis it is. The defense bar should be flooding the legislatures with demands for reform. But instead, they keep their heads down, playing nice while the prosecution sets the rules and rigs the game.
If the evidence is real and the investigation is clean, why the delay? Body cam footage can be uploaded and shared in hours. Reports can be turned over the moment they’re finished. There is no excuse—only strategy.
And here’s the truth: the delay in discovery isn’t just a procedural flaw. It’s evidence. Evidence that the system is broken—or worse, corrupt.
The defense has a duty to demand immediate discovery at every turn. Yet too often, they fold. And by doing nothing, they become part of the betrayal.
Justice isn’t slow. It’s being strangled. And everyone—from the prosecutors to the defense—has blood on their hands. How many innocent people have to be executed or imprisoned because defense investigators did not get the information in time to do their jobs properly?