Documents released on Friday showed that the day before they dropped all charges against the actor Jussie Smollett, who had been accused of staging a hate crime, prosecutors deliberated over the precise wording of their explanation, cognizant of how the public might perceive their sudden withdrawal from the case.

According to correspondence released by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, prosecutors had been discussing the resolution of the case with Mr. Smollett’s lawyer in the days leading up to March 26, when the office dropped all 16 felony counts against him. Mr. Smollett, 36, had been accused of paying two acquaintances to stage a racist and homophobic attack against him, during which they shouted slurs and placed a noose around his neck.

On March 25, Mr. Smollett’s lawyer, Patricia Holmes, emailed proposed language for the state’s attorney’s office to use when announcing in court that it would be dropping the case. Ms. Holmes suggested that prosecutors say that Mr. Smollett is a “dedicated citizen of Chicago who volunteers and contributes regularly in the Chicago area community.” Mr. Smollett had agreed to forfeit the $10,000 bond paid to release him from jail, and Ms. Holmes suggested prosecutors mention that, too.

The proposed statement also suggested that the prosecutors should say that “a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”