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Why must prosecutors disclose evidence that could help clear a defendant or reduce a punishment?
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Legal ethics
Illustration by Hablot Knight Browne for Charles Dickens's Bleak House. Here Lady Dedlock is visited by her cunning old lawyer, who discovers her deepest secret and threatens to reveal it to her husband.
In the context of legal ethics, a prosecutor represents the state, which holds an interest not only in convicting the guilty but also in ensuring the acquittal of the innocent.1
Because of this responsibility, prosecutors have both an ethical and a legal duty to disclose to the defense any information known to them that is unknown to the defense and could potentially exonerate the defendant or mitigate their punishment. This obligation exists to prevent unfair convictions and to uphold the integrity of the justice system, as prosecutors must not employ trial tactics that undermine the fairness of the proceedings or pursue convictions merely for political gain.1