The Impact of Police on Criminal Justice Reform: Evidence from Cincinnati, Ohio

• In Event: Beyond Deterrence: Strategies of Focus and Fairness

Abstract

Despite significant national reductions in crime during the past three decades, a
comparable reduction in adult arrest rates has not occurred. A key practical and academic inquiry is whether it is possible to reduce crime and the number of arrests simultaneously. Cincinnati, Ohio, provided a unique opportunity to examine this unanswered question when it closed the Queensgate Correctional Facility in 2008, thereby reducing the available jail space in the county by 36%. By relying on an interrupted time-series analysis, our findings show that contrary to public concern, both crime and arrests were reduced in Cincinnati even after the jail closure. The Cincinnati Police Department addressed these concerns by changing how officers viewed the use of arrest: as a limited commodity rather than as a standard response. Using strategies such as problem-oriented policing, place-based policing, and focused deterrence, Cincinnati Police were able to narrow their focus on the repeat places, problems, and groups of individuals that were driving crime within the city. The evidence suggests that the police can have a significant impact on pretrial justice and other criminal justice reform efforts through the implementation of evidence-based policing strategies that seek to reduce crime and reduce the use of arrest simultaneously.

Authors

• Robin S. Engel, University of Cincinnati

• Nicholas A. Corsaro, University of Cincinnati

• Murat Ozer, University of Cincinnati