Deferred Prosecution Agreements On Trial

In light of Frank Quattrone’s sweetheart deal with the feds, The WSJ’s Laurie Cohen asks, “Do these ‘deferred-prosecution’ pacts have any teeth?”

Some legal commentators say the pacts don’t sufficiently punish wrongdoers and are simply face-saving mechanisms for prosecutors.

So which is it: Do deferred prosecution agreements secure “cooperation and real reform” or are they a toothless face-saving tool for prosecutors?