Evaluating the Law Enforcement, Prosecutor, and Court Response to Firearm-related Crimes in St. Louis, 2015-2018 (ICPSR 37408)
Version Date: Jun 29, 2020 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Richard Rosenfeld, University of Missouri--St. Louis
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37408.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
This study examines the entire range of case-processing decisions after arrest, from charging to sentencing of firearm-related crimes. This study analyzes the cumulative effects of each decision point, after a charge has been issued, on the subsequent decisions of criminal justice officials. It examines criminal justice decisions regarding a serious category of crime, gun-related offenses. These offenses, most of which are felonious firearm possession or firearm use cases, vary substantially with respect to bail, pretrial detention, and sentencing outcomes (Williams and Rosenfeld, 2016). The focus of this study is St. Louis, where firearm violence is a critical public problem and where neighborhoods range widely in both stability and level of disadvantage. These communities are characterized on the basis of a large number of demographic and socioeconomic indicators. The study aims to enhance understanding of the community context of the criminal justice processing of firearm-related crimes.
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Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Smallest Geographic Unit View help for Smallest Geographic Unit
Neighborhood
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reason for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.
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Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of multiple legal and extralegal factors on four key case-processing decision points: the prosecutor's decision to issue charges on an arrest and for those who are charged, bail amount, time spent in jail prior to case disposition, and sentencing to prison or to probation if convicted. Among the extralegal factors under investigation, the study team's primary focus is on the individual and cumulative effects on case-processing decisions of characteristics of the neighborhood where the offense occurred.
Sample View help for Sample
Universe of eligible cases occurring between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2018.
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
Persons arrested for firearm-related offenses in St. Louis.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
Not applicable.
Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales
None.
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