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AI prompts for prosecutors

Proving each element, corroborating across independent sources, and staying ahead of disclosure obligations. Every prompt on this page carries that emphasis. Pick a workflow and add only the details the assignment needs, using neutral labels where possible.

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A complete example prompt

The Prosecution lens adds this practice context to every template: This work product supports the prosecution: establishing each element of the charged offenses, anticipating defenses, and meeting disclosure obligations.

Here is one complete example: the “Stress-test your witnesses before the defense does” workflow with mixed / full case record as the source. Run it on your own file in Ask your files, or copy it into an AI tool your firm approves.

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Stress-test your witnesses before the defense does · Mixed / full case record

Synthetic example: Names, dates, organizations, and matter details are fictional placeholders, not a real case record.

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CONTEXT:
You are a litigation support analyst assisting prosecuting attorney in a criminal prosecution matter. The attached materials are: (1) the certified deposition transcript of Jordan Lee, a defense witness, and (2) the witness's prior statements: the initial police interview, sworn statement, and deposition transcript. The issues that matter are: identity; sequence of events; opportunity to observe. This work product supports the prosecution: establishing each element of the charged offenses, anticipating defenses, and meeting disclosure obligations.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Compare the deposition testimony against each prior statement, fact by fact. Identify every place the accounts diverge and classify each divergence as exactly one of:
- DIRECT CONTRADICTION — the statements cannot both be true.
- MATERIAL OMISSION — a fact asserted in one account is absent from the other where it would naturally appear.
- SHIFTED DETAIL — timing, sequence, distance, speed, or identity changed between accounts.
Then, for each DIRECT CONTRADICTION and SHIFTED DETAIL, draft a two-step cross-examination sequence: first a lock-in question committing the witness to the deposition testimony, then a confrontation question presenting the prior statement, each with its cite.

In this engagement, additionally: Identify inconsistencies in defense accounts, and with equal rigor flag weaknesses and inconsistencies among the State's own witnesses before the defense finds them.

TEMPLATE — format your output exactly as follows:
## Divergence map
| # | Topic | Deposition account (verbatim + cite) | Prior statement account (verbatim + source + cite) | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
## Cross-examination sequences
For each qualifying divergence:
**Divergence #__ — [topic]**
- Lock-in: "[question]" (commits witness to: [depo cite])
- Confront: "[question]" (prior statement: [source + cite])
## Consistencies that hurt us
Briefly list facts the witness has stated consistently across all accounts, with cites — these are the points cross should avoid.

EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS:
For every finding, identify the source document by name and cite page:line for transcripts, timestamps for audio/video, and Bates/page for documents. Every divergence requires two citations — one per source — and verbatim language from both. If a prior statement referenced in the materials list was not actually provided, say so explicitly rather than working from assumptions. Do not classify a divergence as a DIRECT CONTRADICTION unless the verbatim language supports it; when in doubt, classify down to SHIFTED DETAIL and flag it under "Borderline — attorney review."

Unless a section above specifies its own marker, write "not found in the record" wherever the provided record does not support a requested finding. Do not infer or fill gaps from outside knowledge.
The scope is limited to the requested task, stated issues, and provided record. Do not introduce outside subjects or sources.
A human reviewer must verify every material statement and citation against the source record before relying on or sharing the output.

Every template in the library assembles like this with the Prosecution lens: open the builder and add only the assignment details needed, using neutral labels where possible, or read the Attorney's Guide to AI Prompting for the method behind it.

What this lens changes in each task

Extract from the record
Prioritize corroboration across independent sources, spontaneous statements, and testimony establishing each element — and separately flag anything arguably favorable to the defense for disclosure review.
Build a chronology
Build the timeline that the converging sources support, and explicitly flag gaps or sequence ambiguities a defense could exploit, rather than smoothing them.
Find contradictions
Identify inconsistencies in defense accounts, and with equal rigor flag weaknesses and inconsistencies among the State's own witnesses before the defense finds them.
Summarize the record
Organize by charge and element, rating the strength of proof per element as resting on multiple independent sources, a single source, or inference.
Draft from the record
Build examinations that establish elements through specifics and anticipate the defense themes the record itself suggests.
Interrogate the file
In every answer, note material that bears on disclosure obligations, and keep proof and inference visibly separate.

Common questions

How can prosecutors use AI to organize a case file?

Prosecutors and their paralegals can use AI to organize a case file by charge and element, citing the report, statement, or transcript page that supports each one. A good prompt rates each element as resting on multiple sources, a single source, or inference. The prosecutor verifies every citation and makes the charging and trial decisions.

Can AI help prosecutors find disclosure material?

AI can flag passages that may bear on a prosecutor’s disclosure obligations, such as statements arguably favorable to the defense, with a citation to each. It cannot decide what must be disclosed. Prosecutors should treat the AI’s list as a starting point and review the full file, because disclosure remains the prosecutor’s responsibility.

How do prosecutors check their own witnesses for inconsistencies with AI?

Ask the AI to compare each State witness’s prior statements with their deposition or trial testimony and to list every inconsistency with two citations. Prosecutors use this to prepare witnesses and anticipate cross-examination before the defense raises the same points. Each flagged passage should be read in context before anyone relies on it.

Worked examples for this practice

Each pairs one template with this practice’s emphasis, end to end.

More template guides

Read the general guide for each workflow below. To apply the Prosecution context to your own facts, use the builder actions above.