“DA Risa Ferman discusses ethics of her office at Whitemarsh church” |
| DA Risa Ferman discusses ethics of her office at Whitemarsh church Posted: 08 Feb 2011 04:42 PM PST
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman speaks Sunday at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh. Photo by JASON DeCESARE Speaking at St. Thomas' Church Whitemarsh, Ferman described herself — and every district attorney — a minister of justice charged with doing the right thing for the right reasons. In the process, she also dispelled a few misconceptions about plea bargaining and her relationship to those accused of a crime. As a prosecutor, she said, her job is not simply to enforce laws, prosecute criminals or represent the victims of crime, as defense attorneys represent the interests of their clients. "A prosecutor is a minister of justice, and that means something," Ferman said. "My client is the entire system of justice. It is my job to make sure that a defendant is accorded every right [the law] allows. My client is all of you, and the defendant. As prosecutors, we're really held to a higher standard." Ferman's hour-long appearance was part of a series of talks held regularly after morning services at St. Thomas'. Currently, the common theme of the talks has been ethics in various fields of endeavor. Recent speakers have included a baseball reporter for the New York Times and the dean of the Yale Divinity School. The corruption of the justice system occurs when prosecutors and judges lose their impartiality in favor of a predetermined outcome to their cases, regardless of the facts and the law. As an example, she referred to the case of three lacrosse players from Duke University who were accused of rape in 2006 and exonerated only after their lives and reputations had been ruined, in part because the prosecutor in the case wanted a conviction to secure re-election, Ferman said. The case is the subject of the book "Until Proven Innocent," which Ferman brought with her to the church. "The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty and reputation than any other person in America," Ferman said, quoting the words of Robert Johnson, the U.S. attorney general under Franklin Roosevelt and the chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials. "Reading this book actually horrified me." Impartial application of the law may lead to sentences the public regards as too light, Ferman said, and she often receives e-mails calling for harsher penalties, even death sentences, for relatively minor infractions. "I get crazy phone calls in my office," she said. Given the limited resources of her office, Ferman said, close to 95 percent of the cases that cross her desk will end in a plea bargain. The public often thinks plea bargaining leads to reduced sentences, which is a misconception, she said. Continued...
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman speaks Sunday at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh. Photo by JASON DeCESARE "There's no ethical dilemma," she said. "Most cases are straightforward." Ferman is the daughter of a jeweler, and she said she entered law school with the intention of helping her father in his business. "I may have pierced some of your ears," she said. Until 1991, her only experience with law enforcement was the ticket she received for running a stop sign when she was a teenager, she said. That year, however, she served a summer internship in the U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia, and she changed her mind about the direction she wanted her life to follow, she said. In addition to talking about ethics, Ferman provided an illustration of it when a member of the audience asked her where she stood on allegations that two Montgomery County commissioners had violated the Sunshine Act. "Where I stand on that is silent, sir," she replied.
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman speaks Sunday at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh. Photo by JASON DeCESARE Speaking at St. Thomas' Church Whitemarsh, Ferman described herself — and every district attorney — a minister of justice charged with doing the right thing for the right reasons. In the process, she also dispelled a few misconceptions about plea bargaining and her relationship to those accused of a crime. As a prosecutor, she said, her job is not simply to enforce laws, prosecute criminals or represent the victims of crime, as defense attorneys represent the interests of their clients. "A prosecutor is a minister of justice, and that means something," Ferman said. "My client is the entire system of justice. It is my job to make sure that a defendant is accorded every right [the law] allows. My client is all of you, and the defendant. As prosecutors, we're really held to a higher standard." Ferman's hour-long appearance was part of a series of talks held regularly after morning services at St. Thomas'. Currently, the common theme of the talks has been ethics in various fields of endeavor. Recent speakers have included a baseball reporter for the New York Times and the dean of the Yale Divinity School. The corruption of the justice system occurs when prosecutors and judges lose their impartiality in favor of a predetermined outcome to their cases, regardless of the facts and the law. As an example, she referred to the case of three lacrosse players from Duke University who were accused of rape in 2006 and exonerated only after their lives and reputations had been ruined, in part because the prosecutor in the case wanted a conviction to secure re-election, Ferman said. The case is the subject of the book "Until Proven Innocent," which Ferman brought with her to the church. "The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty and reputation than any other person in America," Ferman said, quoting the words of Robert Johnson, the U.S. attorney general under Franklin Roosevelt and the chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials. "Reading this book actually horrified me." Impartial application of the law may lead to sentences the public regards as too light, Ferman said, and she often receives e-mails calling for harsher penalties, even death sentences, for relatively minor infractions. "I get crazy phone calls in my office," she said. Given the limited resources of her office, Ferman said, close to 95 percent of the cases that cross her desk will end in a plea bargain. The public often thinks plea bargaining leads to reduced sentences, which is a misconception, she said. The law offers guidelines on sentencing, taking into account both the nature of the crime and whether the defendant is a first offender or a habitual criminal, she said. Under plea-bargaining, sentences will fall within the guidelines. "There's no ethical dilemma," she said. "Most cases are straightforward." Ferman is the daughter of a jeweler, and she said she entered law school with the intention of helping her father in his business. "I may have pierced some of your ears," she said. Until 1991, her only experience with law enforcement was the ticket she received for running a stop sign when she was a teenager, she said. That year, however, she served a summer internship in the U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia, and she changed her mind about the direction she wanted her life to follow, she said. In addition to talking about ethics, Ferman provided an illustration of it when a member of the audience asked her where she stood on allegations that two Montgomery County commissioners had violated the Sunshine Act. "Where I stand on that is silent, sir," she replied. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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