Prosecutorial discretion

In common law, the principle of prosecutorial discretion allows public prosecutors a wide latitude to decide whether or not to charge a person for a crime, and which charges to file.^[1] A similar principle in continental law countries is called the principle of opportunity.

The principle of opportunity is encoded in law in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Slovenia and France. Some similar provisions exist in Belgian law and apparently^[clarify] in Estonian law. ^[2] By contrast, in the countries that do not follow the principle of opportunity, compulsory prosecution applies, and the cancellation of the prosecution of a known felony can itself be considered a felony.^{[citation needed]}