RT Article
T1 Prosecturs as crime creators: the case of prenatal drug use
JF Criminal justice review
VO 20
IS 1
SP 21
OP 33
A1 Maschke, Karen J.
LA English
YR 1995
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1639318895
AB This article examines prosecutors' adoption of the crime creator role in matters surrounding prenatal drug use. By interpreting substantive criminal statutes expansively, prosecutors attempted to criminalize women's prenatal behavior. Their crime creation activities were carried out against the backdrop of the war on drugs and the contemporary child protection movement. Although the courts rejected prosecutors' attempts to criminalize prenatal drug use, questions remain about whether this social problem should be criminalized. Moreover, prosecutors' crime creation activities raise questions about the appropriate use of discretionary authority and reveal the tensions between the desire to convict and the obligation to seek justice
K1 Drogenkonsum
K1 Schwangere
DO 10.1177/073401689502000104