Shielding officers from prosecution

Shielding officers from prosecution is the use of prosecutorial discretion, legislative immunity, or structural barriers to prevent accountability for established misconduct. Concrete forms include grand jury proceedings structured to produce non-indictment, prosecutorial refusal to charge clear violations, the expansion of qualified-immunity doctrines to absorb conduct previously actionable, and legislative measures granting retroactive immunity for specific incidents. Ordinary prosecutorial discretion exercised on neutral grounds is not shielding; shielding is what happens when the discretion bends to protect the officer regardless of the conduct.