“Extremely Creepy, but Nothing he did was Illegal”: Charging Patterns During Prearrest Screening
We examine an approach to case screening where prosecutors screen requests for charges before a felony arrest is made. In 2016, Franklin County prosecutors declined to authorize arrests in 17.5% of felony cases. Declination rates, however, varied widely between offense types. Prosecutors most common...
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| Otros Autores: | ; |
| Tipo de documento: | Electrónico Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
2022
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| En: |
Criminal justice policy review
Año: 2022, Volumen: 33, Número: 9, Páginas: 918-942 |
| Acceso en línea: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Gargar...
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| Verificar disponibilidad: | HBZ Gateway |
| Palabras clave: |
| Sumario: | We examine an approach to case screening where prosecutors screen requests for charges before a felony arrest is made. In 2016, Franklin County prosecutors declined to authorize arrests in 17.5% of felony cases. Declination rates, however, varied widely between offense types. Prosecutors most commonly did not authorize an arrest due to insufficient evidence, no crime having occurred, or follow-up needed. Among other findings, the cases of Black defendants, as compared to White defendants, were more likely to be declined due to insufficient evidence and additional follow-up needed. We conclude that prearrest screening by prosecutors can filter out weak cases early, increasing efficiency for the prosecutor’s office, saving the government money, and minimizing the impact of a “bad” arrest on a defendant. |
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| ISSN: | 1552-3586 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/08874034221099604 |