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Friday, December 11, 1998
My son Neil, who is a law school student at Duquesne University, has brought to my attention your 10-part series on prosecutorial excesses, "Win At All Costs."
As a nonlawyer who has spent most of his professional life working on administration of justice and criminal justice matters (serving as a consultant to former Chief Justice Warren Burger among others while employed as a senior staff member at the Brookings Institution), I salute your newspaper and your reporters for performing a great public service.
I have long believed that this country has been undermining its traditional legal safeguards because extremists and demagogues have exploited genuine public fear of crime. While the rate of crime is dropping sharply, the extremists continue to fan hysteria to enable them to create conditions making acceptable the abuse of prosecutorial powers.
My congratulations to you for bringing the facts to honorable lawyers and the public so that we can begin the process of redressing the wrongs done by today's runaway prosecutors.
WARREN I. CIKINS
Alexandria, Va.
The writer is vice chairman of the National Committee on Community Corrections
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