Why are prosecutors always adding conspiracy charges?
The famous jurist Judge Learned Hand once called conspiracy “that darling of the modern prosecutor’s nursery.” Conspiracy charges afford prosecutors several advantages. First of all, it gives them a legal means of stopping criminal behavior before it is fully realized. All it takes to file a conspiracy charge is an agreement and an overt act. The prosecutor doesn’t have to wait until the crime is complete to take action. In addition, conspiracy charges give prosecutors important procedural advantages. For example, joining a number of individuals together as co-conspirators increases the likelihood of conviction because the evidence won’t be limited to the acts of just one person. Conspiracy also allows a prosecutor greater latitude in selecting a venue, a place where the case will be heard. The conspiracy can be prosecuted either where it was formed or where any of the overt acts took place.
