When Prosecutors Break the Rules: Who Holds Them Accountable? | Iris Eytan

Who holds the prosecutor accountable? Prosecutors are some of the most powerful people in our criminal justice system. They decide what charges to bring, what plea deals to offer and what evidence to put before a jury. But what happens when a prosecutor breaks the rules — or when the pursuit of a conviction comes at the expense of a defendant's constitutional rights? On this episode of UNHEARD, I sit down with Iris Eytan, a former Deputy State Public Defender and criminal defense attorney who spent nearly 30 years inside the criminal justice system. Iris has represented thousands of defendants and was part of Barry Morphew's defense team in a murder prosecution that became a national story and raised serious questions about prosecutorial conduct. Today, Iris is the Founder and CEO of Protect Ethical Prosecutors (PEP), a nonpartisan watchdog organization advocating for ethical prosecution and accountability when prosecutors engage in misconduct. We get into just how much power prosecutors actually have, why holding them accountable can be so difficult, prosecutorial immunity, wrongful convictions, the Morphew case, and what Iris believes needs to change. This isn't a conversation about being anti-prosecutor. It's a conversation about what accountability should look like when the people entrusted with enforcing the law are accused of breaking the rules themselves. 🎙️ UNHEARD: True Crime in Their Own Words Guest: Iris Eytan ABOUT PROTECT ETHICAL PROSECUTORS: PEP is working to document prosecutorial misconduct and advocate for greater accountability within the criminal justice system. Learn more, support their work, or find their social channels at: protectethicalprosecutors.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.