Prosecutors play an important role in determining the outcomes of court cases in the United States. In a special issue of Criminology & Public Policy, the Editors-in-Chief have compiled articles on prosecutors and prosecutorial decision making. The issue features thought-provoking and timely studies from leading researchers in the field.
Criminology & Public Policy, the flagship policy and practice journal of the American Society of Criminology (ASC), is edited by Professors Ojmarrh Mitchell (University of California, Irvine), and Jacinta M. Gau (University of Central Florida).
“Various reforms in criminal justice have expanded the influence of prosecutors, giving them significant discretionary control over key aspects of case processing and outcomes,” says Mitchell, professor of criminology, law, and society at UC Irvine as well as former vice president of the ASC. “Yet limited access to prosecutorial data has obscured the decision-making processes of these key players, hindering efforts to examine how they wield their discretion.”
“In this special issue, we present eight rigorous, empirical investigations that shed light on various components of prosecutors’ work in charging decisions, case declinations, diversion, plea bargaining, and sentencing,” adds Gau, professor of criminal justice at UCF.
The articles in the special issue include:
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