With the passage of time, though, a prosecution becomes more difficult.
It was only when one sister was persuaded to break with her family and give evidence against them that a prosecution became possible.
Earlier this month, Burundi — in an apparent attempt to avoid prosecution — became the first country to withdraw from the ICC, but the court ultimately authorized an investigation relating to alleged crimes the government had committed anyway.
While the details of Troy Davis's underlying prosecution became common knowledge to his legions of supporters, few knew that he had already come within minutes of execution before last month's 11th-hour ordeal.
News of the men's prosecution became public in Britain just as Prime Minister Tony Blair was beginning a major public relations campaign to overcome his unpopular support for the Iraq war.
During the 70's, 80's and 90's, so many writers, journalists and scholars were imprisoned for their views that a prosecution became a badge of honor: if you had not yet angered the state, then perhaps you hadn't said anything of importance.
In so doing, the prosecution becomes identified as condoning racism within the Police Department, while Shapiro is seen as championing the truth, namely, that there are some bigoted officers in the LAPD who are quite capable of violating the rights of black citizens.
Their fear of prosecution became too big a threat for their business.
If prosecutors are forced to prove a standard of criminal intent more demanding than mere negligence, then white-collar criminal prosecutions become a significantly less convenient way to order business conduct.
Without documentation, insider-trading prosecutions become he said-she said affairs that are difficult to sell to a jury.
