Define criminal prosecution:
the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior
Definition explanation:
An action of conducting legal proceedings on behalf of the public to accuse a criminal to secure the conviction and punishment on an accuser for his crime.
Examples:
1. A Syrian military pilot fled to Jordan Thursday and was granted asylum, a day after the United States warned members of the Syrian military they could face international criminal prosecution for attacks on civilians. (CNN)
2. In Malawi, a constitutional court in Blantyre has ruled that Vice President Cassim Chilumpha has no immunity from criminal prosecution. The Vice President is facing treason charges for allegedly plotting to assassinate president Bingu Wa Mutharika. His defense had argued that Malawi’s Constitution treats the President and the Vice President, as equal under the law. In that view, the defense contended that Vice President Chilumpha is immune from criminal prosecution, like the President is. (VOA)
Details:
Criminal prosecution in the U.S. is conducted at the federal level predominantly by the Department of Justice through “Main Justice” in DC and the U.S. Attorneys Offices (USAOs) that are scattered across the country. At the state and local level District Attorney Offices (sometimes referred to as County or State’s Attorneys), which are distributed across the major cities of most states, take the laboring oar, typically with some involvement of the State Attorney General’s Office.
