Complete Candor: Truth Is the First Duty of Every Officer is a groundbreaking exposé and legal treatise that confronts the culture of silence, deception, and cover-up within American law enforcement and the broader criminal justice system. Rooted in the constitutional principle that due process demands truth, this book reveals the catastrophic consequences when officers and prosecutors fail to disclose misconduct, lie under oath, or withhold exculpatory evidence.
At the heart of this book is a central thesis: truth is not optional—it's a legal and moral duty. Drawing its title from Justice Thurgood Marshall’s declaration that “complete candor” is the first duty of every officer of the court, the book traces how this duty has been systemically eroded by policies, politics, and perverse incentives. Through meticulous research, real-life case studies, and a searing critique of judicial and prosecutorial failures, the author exposes a justice system in crisis—one where truth-telling is often punished, and lying is institutionally tolerated.
Complete Candor delves deep into legal doctrines like Brady v. Maryland, Giglio v. United States, and Napue v. Illinois, translating their obligations into clear, actionable insights. It maps out the state-by-state variations in disclosure laws, including the creation and concealment of “Brady Lists”—rosters of officers whose credibility is compromised by past misconduct. With each chapter, readers are taken further into the machinery that allows unconstitutional convictions to persist, even as the truth remains buried.
But this is not just a book about failure. It is a call to arms for prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, legislators, and the public. The book proposes concrete reforms—from the mandatory public disclosure of credibility-compromised officers to the creation of independent oversight boards empowered to enforce candor requirements. It advocates for a national standard of transparency and challenges the legal profession to reclaim its ethical mandate.
Whether you're a legal scholar, civil rights advocate, law enforcement officer, journalist, or concerned citizen, Complete Candor offers a powerful, urgent, and unflinching account of how dishonesty corrodes justice—and how restoring integrity starts with enforcing the most basic rule: tell the truth.
Key features include:
In-depth analysis of the Brady, Giglio, and Napue decisions and how they are evaded in practice.
A state-by-state guide to Brady List policies, or lack thereof.
Case studies of officers and prosecutors whose lies led to wrongful convictions or shattered public trust.
Policy recommendations for restoring transparency and accountability at every level of the justice system.
A framework for how courts can uphold “complete candor” as a non-negotiable principle.
This book does more than expose corruption—it provides a blueprint for systemic reform. In an era when public trust in policing and prosecution is near historic lows, Complete Candor is both a warning and a guidebook for how to restore justice by making truth the law’s first obligation once again.