Qualitative Criminology (QC)
Abstract
"Research examining prosecutorial decision-making has grown considerably in recent years. Much of this research is focused on assessing unwarranted disparities in case processing outcomes using administrative case data. Comparatively few studies analyze prosecutors' perceptions using qualitative sources. Additionally, little is known about how prosecutors view their role in reducing racial disparities or how they can use data as a decisionmaking aid despite recent innovations in prosecutorial data collection capacity. The current study addresses this dearth of scholarship by analyzing interview data from two midsized Florida State Attorney’s Offices conducted in 2018. Results suggest two main groups of prosecutors: data-positive and data-hesitant prosecutors. Among data-positive prosecutors, three key themes emerged regarding tracking trends over time, increasing case processing efficiency, and identifying racial disparities. For data-hesitant prosecutors, there were also three important themes, including individualized case processing, the potential for data reports to be misconstrued by the media and public, and race trend data isn’t helpful because disparities are due to other factors. The findings related to these two broad categorizations of prosecutors are discussed in terms of future research in this area, as well as prosecutorial office policy and practice."
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Recommended Citation
Arndt, Maria and Silverthorn, Rachel
(2024)
""Data Can Be Manipulated": How Prosecutors' Attitudes Toward Racial Disparities and Data-Informed Decision-Making Diverge,"
Qualitative Criminology (QC): Vol. 13:
No.
2, Article 2.
Available at:
https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol13/iss2/2
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