Does Celerity Drive Subsequent Arrests for Similarly Situated Offenders?

• In Event: The Deterrent Effect of Sanctions on Re-offending

Abstract

The vast majority of deterrence research has focused on the effects of certainty and severity, while less is known about the effects of celerity. While evidence assessing the impact of celerity is mixed, there is a lack of research examining the potential effects of celerity during the pretrial process. Data from a large, urban, southern county are used to examine if celerity, measured by the days between the commission of the offense and jail intake, impacts subsequent arrests for similar offenders. Propensity score matching was used to match defendants on relevant characteristics and to examine the effects of varying levels of celerity on subsequent arrest outcomes.

Authors

• Haley Zettler, University of Texas at Dallas

• Robert G. Morris, University of Texas at Dallas

• Alex Piquero, University of Texas at Dallas

• Stephanie Michelle Cardwell, University of Texas at Dallas