Evaluating the Law Enforcement, Prosecutor, and Court Response to Firearm-related Crimes in St. Louis, 2015-2018 (ICPSR 37408)

Version Date: Jun 29, 2020

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Principal Investigator(s):
Richard Rosenfeld, University of Missouri--St. Louis

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37408.v1

Version V1

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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.

Citation

Rosenfeld, Richard. Evaluating the Law Enforcement, Prosecutor, and Court Response to Firearm-related Crimes in St. Louis, 2015-2018. [distributor], 2020-06-29. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37408.v1

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Funding

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (NIJ 2015-IJ-CX-0015)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

Neighborhood

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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Time Period(s)

2015-07-01 -- 2018-06-30

Date of Collection

2017-06-01 -- 2018-10-31
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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

Universe of eligible cases occurring between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2018.

Time Method

Longitudinal

Universe

Persons arrested for firearm-related offenses in St. Louis.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individual

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Response Rates

Not applicable.

Presence of Common Scales

None.

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Original Release Date

2020-06-29

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Weight

Not available.

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

  • One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.