The man I called a horribly subhuman beast is really innocent. He might let somebody else do that, like the judge, or maybe the media. But that prosecutor doesn't want to undermine our system of being certain that we don't convict innocent people. Our law enforcement culture is so adversarial, so combative, that we don't allow acknowledgments of mistakes. We just don't do it.
Prosecutors champion the victims, the underdogs in society.
When you acknowledge a mistake, you show a certain weakness, and the prosecutor does not want to appear weak, or confused, or uncertain. The prosecutor wants to project the image of toughness, certainty, and confidence. . . A lot of prosecutors don't want to know anything more. They've gotten the conviction, they fought hard to preserve this conviction on appeal, the case is over, the books are closed. They'll let somebody else raise any new evidence, but they'll oppose it.