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Case dismissal and noncarceral sentences: High volume, low visibility decision-making in a large urban court

Author

Listed:
  • Hartley, Richard D.
  • Tillyer, Marie Skubak
  • Tregle, Brandon
  • Smith, Michael R.

Abstract

While research on court outcomes has proliferated in the last half century, advancing knowledge of courtroom actor decision-making practices, gaps in understanding still exist in the criminal case processing literature. One of these areas relates to low visibility decisions by prosecutors to dismiss cases; another concerns sentencing outcomes at the county level where judges have wider discretion to impose noncarceral punishments. The current study examines prosecutorial decisions to dismiss cases, and judicial decisions to sentence defendants to probation, or deferred adjudication in a large urban county over a 6-year period (2017 to 2022). Results from multivariate models reveal that legal, extra-legal, and case processing factors were associated with dismissals and non-incarceration. We discuss the implications of these findings for case processing at the local level and current knowledge of courtroom actor discretion regarding high volume, low visibility decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Hartley, Richard D. & Tillyer, Marie Skubak & Tregle, Brandon & Smith, Michael R., 2025. "Case dismissal and noncarceral sentences: High volume, low visibility decision-making in a large urban court," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:98:y:2025:i:c:s0047235225000601
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102411
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Emma Pierson & Camelia Simoiu & Jan Overgoor & Sam Corbett-Davies & Daniel Jenson & Amy Shoemaker & Vignesh Ramachandran & Phoebe Barghouty & Cheryl Phillips & Ravi Shroff & Sharad Goel, 2020. "A large-scale analysis of racial disparities in police stops across the United States," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(7), pages 736-745, July.
    2. Franklin, Travis W., 2010. "Community influence on prosecutorial dismissals: A multilevel analysis of case- and county-level factors," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 693-701, July.
    3. Amaral, Francesca A. & Loeffler, Charles E. & Ridgeway, Greg, 2024. "Prosecutorial discretion not to invoke the criminal process and its impact on firearm cases," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
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