Can a prosecutor wait to provide discovery until the defense asks for it?

November 4, 2022 by stephenh

“Can” and “should” are two very different matters. Prior to 2021, Rule 16 of Utah’s Rules of Criminal Procedure suggested that a prosecutor’s obligation to provide discovery was triggered only when the defense asked for it. The rule stated, “[T]he prosecutor shall disclose to the defense upon request the following material or information of which he has knowledge….” Utah R. Crim. Pro. 16(a) (2020).

Constitutional principles of due process have long been interpreted as requiring that a prosecutor disclose certain discovery materials, even if the defense did not make a request. The 2021 amendments to Utah’s Rule 16 made it clear that the disclosure of these materials is mandatory without any requiring any request.

Does a prosecutor have to turn over discovery materials in possession of police?
Pursuant to State v. Knight, 734 P.2d 913 (Utah 1987), constitutional principles of due process dictate that a prosecutor’s obligation to provide discovery materials extends to materials known to, in possession of, or under the control of any member of the prosecution team. Prosecutors sometimes erroneously believe that they are only responsible for providing discovery materials in their direct possession. But the prosecution team includes police officers or agencies involved in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal case.
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Constitutional due process and double jeopardy protections affect the question of when a prosecutor can file new or different charges in a criminal case. Utah's Rule 4(d) of the Rules of Criminal Procedure provides that a prosecutor can file an amended information with new, additional, or different charges any time prior to the beginning of a criminal trial, "so long as the substantial rights of the defendant are not prejudiced." Jeopardy is considered to "attach" to a case once a jury is empaneled or, in a bench trial, when the first witness is called and sworn. In order to comply…
Does a prosecutor have to provide copies of search warrant affidavits?
Under Rule 16 of the Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure (2022), a prosecutor is required to disclose and provide the defense with a copy of any warrant relating to the case. This includes any search warrants. The rule also requires prosecutors to turn over copies of any warrant affidavits filed in support of such warrants. When a judge signs a search warrant in Utah, the court should require an affidavit from the officer seeking the warrant. The affidavit is supposed to set out the facts believed to establish probable cause to justify the warrant. That affidavit must also be provided…
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The first hearing in a misdemeanor criminal case is normally the "arraignment" hearing, where the judge will read the charges formally filed in the case and ask the defendant to enter plea of either guilty or not guilty. In Utah felony cases, the arraignment does not occur until after the case has been "bound over" for trial in the district court. The first felony court hearing is sometimes referred to simply as an "initial appearance" or "felony first hearing."

Can a prosecutor wait to provide discovery until the defense asks for it?

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