While understanding the legal jargon, it is important to know what the roles are too. What a prosecutor is, what a defendant is, how the two work and what their exclusive domains are. But before that, let’s streamline the basic definitions first.
Prosecutor Meaning
In simple words, a prosecutor is the legal person in charge of bringing a case in front of the judge against an accused. The accused can be guilty of whatever crime, the prosecutor accuses them of breaking the law and builds a case against them.
They will always have the public interest at heart by making sure that accused people pay for their crimes and are rightfully punished so justice can be served.
Ideally, these are some of the basic tasks incorporated by a prosecutor:
- Participating in the investigation of criminal activity
- Presenting evidence in court
- Assisting in determining the punishment or settlement defendants should receive
- Reviewing police reports
- Performing research
- Coordinating with additional attorneys, the police and other professionals
- Meeting with witnesses or victims
Prosecutor Education
To become a prosecutor, one must comply with the minimum educational requirements that come with the profession. The first step is getting a bachelor’s degree in any related subject like public defense, criminal justice etc. After the student passes with a reasonable CGPA, the next step is to prepare them for their LSAT.
LSAT is the Law School Admission Test which gets you into a good law school. Not everyone passes through the test; it is a mix of multiple choice questions that are often too hard to pass. But, to even be considered for a good law school, a person must obtain a very high score.
Once the LSAT is passed, the person gets into law school and to become a prosecutor, a Juris Doctor degree is necessary. Here while studying the student can take on additional courses or work with communities to get a practical experience of handling professional cases.
The next step to becoming a prosecutor is passing the Bar. Once all the previous steps are completed, the student is required to pass their state’s Bar exam, which is very challenging and tough to pass. Passing the Bar gives you a license to practice law legally and work in law firms as a proper lawyer.
Which of the following decisions is the Exclusive Domain of the Prosecutor?
- Bail
- Charging
- Arraignment
- Sentencing
Among these four options given, the task of the prosecutor is CHARGING.
The prosecutor is only responsible for charging the accused of breaking the law and bringing them towards the judge. The judge is responsible for doing the arraignment, where the charges against the defendant are read, and if the defendant can’t afford a lawyer, the state provides them one as per their constitutional right.
Bail and sentencing are also the tasks of a judge who after hearing the verdict of the jury decides how a convict is to be punished. The decision is aligned with the state laws and the justice system.
The Office of the Prosecutor is in which branch of Government?
EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
In most U.S. state and local jurisdictions, prosecutors are elected to office. On the federal level, district attorneys are, in effect, members of the executive branch of the government; they are usually replaced when a new administration comes into office.
U.S attorney works for the federal level and is appointed by the President. The District Attorney handles mass criminal cases and brings them to court against the defendant.
Prosecutor Salary
On average, a chief prosecutor salary is around $97,060 annually, but this rate may differ from state to state. Here is what the figures look like:
| State | Hourly Wage | Annual Salary |
| New York – Prosecutor Salary | $39.49 | $82,143 |
| Massachusetts – Prosecutor Salary | $39.12 | $81,366 |
| Washington – Prosecutor Salary | $38.85 | $80,798 |
| New Hampshire – Prosecutor Salary | $38.07 | $79,189 |
| Hawaii – Prosecutor Salary | $37.57 | $78,146 |
| Maryland – Prosecutor Salary | $36.25 | $75,407 |
| Connecticut – Prosecutor Salary | $36.24 | $75,383 |
| Rhode Island – Prosecutor Salary | $35.95 | $74,770 |
| Alaska – Prosecutor Salary | $35.90 | $74,674 |
| Vermont – Prosecutor Salary | $35.75 | $74,364 |
| Nebraska – Prosecutor Salary | $35.71 | $74,269 |
| Nevada – Prosecutor Salary | $35.62 | $74,087 |
| North Dakota – Prosecutor Salary | $35.48 | $73,807 |
| Wyoming – Prosecutor Salary | $35.45 | $73,743 |
| California – Prosecutor Salary | $35.40 | $73,624 |
| Virginia – Prosecutor Salary | $35.24 | $73,296 |
| Kentucky – Prosecutor Salary | $34.53 | $71,821 |
| South Dakota – Prosecutor Salary | $34.45 | $71,652 |
| New Jersey – Prosecutor Salary | $34.37 | $71,497 |
| West Virginia – Prosecutor Salary | $34.33 | $71,409 |
| Pennsylvania – Prosecutor Salary | $34.17 | $71,064 |
| South Carolina – Prosecutor Salary | $33.99 | $70,696 |
| Minnesota – Prosecutor Salary | $33.96 | $70,632 |
| Oregon – Prosecutor Salary | $33.88 | $70,461 |
| Delaware – Prosecutor Salary | $33.87 | $70,451 |
| Tennessee – Prosecutor Salary | $33.85 | $70,401 |
| Colorado – Prosecutor Salary | $33.83 | $70,357 |
| Montana – Prosecutor Salary | $33.80 | $70,306 |
| Ohio – Prosecutor Salary | $33.60 | $69,894 |
| Wisconsin – Prosecutor Salary | $33.52 | $69,727 |
| Arizona – Prosecutor Salary | $33.45 | $69,582 |
| Kansas – Prosecutor Salary | $33.31 | $69,282 |
| Utah – Prosecutor Salary | $33.29 | $69,251 |
| Indiana – Prosecutor Salary | $33.24 | $69,136 |
| Oklahoma – Prosecutor Salary | $33.19 | $69,027 |
| Idaho – Prosecutor Salary | $33.09 | $68,831 |
| Maine – Prosecutor Salary | $33.07 | $68,780 |
| Louisiana – Prosecutor Salary | $32.93 | $68,500 |
| Iowa – Prosecutor Salary | $32.59 | $67,795 |
| Georgia – Prosecutor Salary | $32.27 | $67,125 |
| Texas – Prosecutor Salary | $31.90 | $66,355 |
| New Mexico – Prosecutor Salary | $31.83 | $66,211 |
| Michigan – Prosecutor Salary | $31.75 | $66,043 |
| Arkansas – Prosecutor Salary | $31.73 | $65,995 |
| Illinois – Prosecutor Salary | $31.56 | $65,636 |
| Alabama – Prosecutor Salary | $31.52 | $65,555 |
| Mississippi – Prosecutor Salary | $31.20 | $64,891 |
| Missouri – Prosecutor Salary | $31.12 | $64,739 |
| Florida – Prosecutor Salary | $30.42 | $63,267 |
| North Carolina – Prosecutor Salary | $28.96 | $60,244 |
Note: Sample rates have been extracted online, courtesy of ZipRecruiter.
Conclusion
A prosecutor is responsible for bringing the case out to the system against an accused he believes must have broken the law. For such criminal activity, the case is brought forward and fought: the prosecutor builds the case and the defendant defends himself against these charges. But the only domain of the prosecutor is charging the defendant, NOT sentencing him, arraignment or bail.
