Addressing Racial Inequities in Prosecution: The Roles of Reform-Minded Prosecutors, Public Defenders, Law Enforcement and Judges

Prosecutors play a significant role in determining the course of criminal cases and defendant outcomes. However, little research has examined how the legal environment changes when a reform-minded prosecutor takes office. Political scientist Jon Gould and criminologist Belén Lowrey-Kinberg will examine how the election of reform-minded chief prosecutors affects defendant outcomes, particularly racial disparities in outcomes. They will conduct interviews for and analyze data from administrative data from prosecutors’ offices from two jurisdictions for their study.