Opinion ID: 1941865
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion In Dismissal Decisions

Text: The District contends that implicit in its exclusive petitioning authority is the power to dismiss a petition which it later determines to be unjustified. It would be anomalous, the District argues, to reserve to it the exclusive authority to determine whether to file the petition and the primary responsibility for presenting supporting evidence, yet require it to proceed to trial when it believes in good faith that the evidence it has gathered is insufficient to support the allegations. [7] Although conceding that such proceedings are not criminal in nature, the District contends that they are analogous to criminal prosecutions, thereby justifying placing the power to maintain or to withdraw neglect charges within the discretion of the Corporation Counsel as the responsible state official, rather than with a private party. Appellee, A.S., makes similar arguments. [8] The District also suggests that policy considerations, particularly the necessity for the government to allocate scarce resources, provide some justification for the Corporation Counsel's control over dismissals undertaken in good faith. Appellants contend that the civil nature of the proceeding precludes any claim that this is an area where prosecutorial discretion forecloses judicial scrutiny. This court has distinguished neglect proceedings from criminal prosecutions. Neglect proceedings are remedial and focus on the child; they are critically different from criminal prosecutions which are primarily concerned with the allegedly abusive parent. In re S.G., 581 A.2d 771, 775 (D.C.1990). Such cases are not brought to punish the parent or child. Rather, they are brought ordinarily because the parent is not willing or able to fulfill parental responsibilities, thereby requiring government intervention to protect the child's best interests. See D.C.Code § 16-2301(9). [9] The burden of proof in such cases is by a preponderance of the evidence rather than beyond a reasonable doubt as required in a criminal case. D.C.Code § 16-2317(c)(2); In re S.K., 564 A.2d 1382, 1389 (D.C.1989); In re B.K, 429 A.2d 1331, 1333 (D.C.1981). Although adjudications of neglect involve determinations that parents have engaged in seriously unacceptable behavior, the orders in such cases are not convictions. See D.C.Code § 16-2317(c)(2). Nevertheless, the consequences, as appellees point out, involve governmental intrusions into the fundamental and constitutionally protected right of a natural parent to raise his or her child. See B.K., supra, 429 A.2d at 1334 (quoting In re J.S.R., 374 A.2d 860, 863 (D.C.1977)). Thus, the neglect statute, which controls the manner in which that intrusion can occur, affords protections to the parent and child similar to those made available to a criminal defendant. See, e.g., D.C.Code § 16-2304(a), (b)(1) (right of parent and child to counsel, appointed by court, upon showing of financial need). We have also recognized that in certain areas, precedents from criminal cases can provide guidance in resolving issues in neglect proceedings. S.G., supra, 581 A.2d at 775 (joinder and severance issues). This appears to be particularly appropriate in a proceeding where the statute vests in the executive branch of the government, through its Corporation Counsel, the sole responsibility for preparing and filing the neglect petition, the requirement to be a party to any such proceeding, and the responsibility to present evidence in support of the petition, a role analogous to that of a prosecutor in a criminal case. See D.C.Code §§ 16-2305(c), (f), -2316(a). [10] In spite of the civil nature of the proceedings, the prosecutorial function explicitly reserved to the Corporation Counsel by statute, supports the implicit, concomitant authority of the designated governmental official to exercise discretion in determining prior to trial whether to proceed with any petition which he deems to be unsupportable. [11] Absent a good faith belief that the allegations of the petition are supportable by the evidence, the Corporation Counsel cannot discharge his responsibility under D.C.Code § 16-2316(a). Moreover, the Rules of Professional Responsibility preclude an attorney from knowingly advancing a claim unsupportable by existing law, absent a good faith argument for its extension, modification, or reversal. D.C.Bar R. 3.1; DR 7-102(A)(2); see also D.C.Bar.R. 3.8(b), (c). In light of these considerations and the statutory scheme above described, we hold that when the government seeks to dismiss a neglect petition pretrial because it lacks sufficient evidence to support the petition, its motion must be granted even over the objection of the GAL, absent a claim of bad faith, and the GAL has no authority to proceed with the petition independently.