Case Dismissed: Police Discretion and Racial Differences in Dismissals of Felony Charges

Tomic, Aleksandar; Hakes, Jahn K.

doi:10.1093/aler/ahn006

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…It is also possible, however, that this finding is due to more aggressive police actions in these cases. If police are, in fact, quicker to arrest minorities in domestic violence situations than they are to arrest White offenders, prosecutors may be correcting for this bias by dismissing these cases more readily (see Tomic & Hakes, 2008, for discussion).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chivalry Revisited

Romain

Freiburger

2015

Feminist Criminology

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There is limited research on the role of gender in charge reduction, particularly for domestic violence cases.The purpose of this study is to test the direct and interactive effects of defendant gender, race/ethnicity, type of offense, and victim gender on charge reduction. A population census of 2,281 domestic violence cases in a large Midwestern county was obtained from the prosecutor's office. The effect of gender varies depending on the operationalization of charge reduction. Female-on-female cases were least likely to be dismissed. Non-White females were least likely to receive a violent charge reduction. Future research on the underlying mechanisms of why female-on-female cases and non-White females are less likely to receive a reduction is needed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chivalry Revisited

Romain

Freiburger

2015

Feminist Criminology

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“…First, some disparities may emerge due to racial and ethnic biases. Racial disparities tend to be most pronounced in high‐discretion scenarios (Peterson, 2017; Schlesinger, 2005; Sheldon, 1988; Smith & Levinson, 2011; Spohn, 2015; Tomic & Hakes, 2008) and correctional staff are allowed a vast amount of discretion (Liebling et al., 2010). For example, existing research finds that correctional staff employ discretion and strategically enforce prison rules (Freeman, 2003; Haggerty & Bucerius, 2020; Liebling et al., 2010; see also, Crittenden et al., 2018; Kerrison, 2017, 2018; Poole & Regoli, 1980; Ramirez, 1983).…”

Section: The Potential For Racial and Ethnic Disparities In In‐prison...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, studies find that certain criminal justice policies that are intended to structure decision making (e.g., risk assessments, sentencing guidelines), although race neutral in language, still produce disadvantageous outcomes for minority individuals due to the nature of the factors considered (Eckhouse et al, 2019;Schlesinger, 2011). At the same time, racial and ethnic disparities sometimes extend beyond what is imposed by formal policy in the face of discretionary decision making (Peterson, 2017;Sheldon, 1988;Smith & Levinson, 2011;Spohn, 2015;Tomic & Hakes, 2008). Such "extralegal" disparities have been found at various points in criminal case processing and may extend into a prison setting in situations where correctional staff are granted considerable discretion (e.g., Crittenden et al, 2018;Kerrison, 2017Kerrison, , 2018Poole & Regoli, 1980;Ramirez, 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can “race‐neutral” program eligibility requirements in criminal justice have disparate effects? An examination of race, ethnicity, and prison industry employment

Anderson

Wooldredge

Cochran

2022

Criminology & Public Policy

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This study assesses whether racial and ethnic disparities exist in prison industry employment and whether seemingly race-and ethnicityneutral eligibility requirements contribute to any such disparities. We examine whether there are racial/ethnic disparities in industrial prison work, the extent to which disparities are explained by administrative policies, and the conditions under which disparities are most pronounced. Using 10 years of prison administrative data from Ohio, this study employs multilevel and mediation analyses to examine the effects of race and ethnicity on the odds of working an industrial prison job. Results suggest that Black and Hispanic incarcerated persons (IPs) are less likely to work industry jobs than White IPs. The majority of this disparity stems from program requirements; however, some disparities maintain even when accounting for requirements. Black IPs who do not meet program requirements are less likely to work than White IPs who do not meet program requirements. Racial disparities are smaller in facilities with greater racial heterogeneity among correctional staff. Policy Implications: In our discussion, we underscore how prison policies can contribute to racially and

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Leniency Can Increase Deterrence

Lundberg

2019

International Review of Law and Economics

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Case Dismissed: Police Discretion and Racial Differences in Dismissals of Felony Charges

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

Chivalry Revisited

Chivalry Revisited

Can “race‐neutral” program eligibility requirements in criminal justice have disparate effects? An examination of race, ethnicity, and prison industry employment

Leniency Can Increase Deterrence

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