Social Network and Prosecutors

This article explores the recent wave of progressive prosecutor reforms in the United States and argues that efforts to promote diversity within an organization may not effectively change the existing organizational culture if they fail to address the importance of networks in the workplace. Despite the common assumption that a diverse workforce will lead to more diverse network connections, the opposite may actually be true, as diversity often results in the formation of homogeneous networks. Through a comparative perspective centered on Taiwanese prosecutors, the central thesis of the article is that an individual’s network position significantly shapes their professional identity and behavior as a prosecutor. In other words, prosecutors occupying different network positions tend to exhibit different professional identities. While the article acknowledges the influence of seniority in shaping prosecutors’ perceptions and identity, I argue that network position is a crucial mediating factor that deserves greater scholarly attention. If seniority is not the primary factor in shaping prosecutors’ professional identities, then prosecutorial reforms should aim for new strategies that can reshape the social network structure within the profession.