It is definitely not prosecutors’ “job” to overzealously seek convictions — that is just the messed-up macho culture that results from our system. Their actual job, as defined by the relevant laws and codes of ethics, is to seek justice (that is, decline to prosecute if you don’t think he’s guilty, or seek only the punishments the person really deserves and that would be most fair or best for society.) A Rav told me that the reason he’s against the death penalty in America is because prosecutors see themselves as having a stake in the outcome and getting a conviction and the sentence they want. This is great contrast to the Torah system, in which there is no prosecutor and the court (which is neutral and has no stake in the outcome), is in charge of determining the facts.
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