The correct answer is: False
Prosecutors have considerable discretion in charging decisions and sentencing recommendations, and their decisions have important impacts on individuals. Prosecutors are significantly less likely to file charges against white defendants than they are against defendants of color. This is true even after legally relevant factors – offense seriousness, criminal history, and weapons charges – are taken into account. King County prosecutors recommend longer confinement sentences for black defendants, and prosecutors are 75% less likely to recommend alternative sentences for black defendants than for similarly situated White defendants.
Source: “Preliminary Report on Race and Washington‘s Criminal Justice System,” The Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System, 2011.
