Jurisdiction Size & Resource Allocation: Eliminating the Rape Kit Backlog

• In Event: Research in Five (Graduate Students) Session II

Abstract

Numerous public policy scholars have researched the impact of local government structure on public policy. Certain political structures or forms of government have been discovered to result in significant increases in service delivery and expenditures and alter growth management activities (Benton 2002b; 2003b; Park 1996; Schneider and Park 1989; Feiock and Tavares 2002). Although these previous studies have examined county governments in the areas of service delivery, taxation, expenditures, and growth management, they have not examined the impact of population and law enforcement agency size on policy outcomes. In this paper, I explore the impact of law enforcement agency size and population on the rape kit backlog in Missouri. In this paper, I utilize data from a Sunshine Request on the size of the rape kit backlog in various Missouri counties. I find that cities' populations and law enforcement agency size have a statistically significant effect on the size of the rape kit backlog within the jurisdiction. This research has implications for policymakers regarding resource allocation decisions.

Author

• Elizabeth Ila Dorssom, University of Missouri