Know Your Rights: Brady Violations

My name is Alex Wise and I am a senior at Pitzer College, originally from Washington, D.C. I created a comprehensive guide that breaks down complexities of an important legal issue, the Brady Rule. The Brady rule, named after Brady v. Maryland (1963), requires prosecutors in criminal trials to hand over evidence to the defense that would help prove the client’s innocence. Despite the integrity of the rule, as one might expect, bad actors across the country have figured out how to avoid following this rule for as long as it has been in place. 

I discovered that this was an epidemic- and that the times these violations were discovered were only a minuscule amount of the actual malpractice going on during these criminal cases. I was bewildered that I- someone who has always been fascinated with the criminal justice system- had not heard of Brady violations prior to this period. I wanted to take this complex legislation and create a resource that would help people with no background in law understand what rights they, their loved ones, and people in their community have when it comes to being a defendant in a criminal trial.