Neighborhood Crime Rates an Indicator of Individual “Dangerousness?”

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

Recent scholarship has pointed to the influence that social context plays in determining case processing outcomes. Generally, prior research has focused on the importance of socio-economic and racial demographics of the place of arrest or residence, and the influence they play on bond, pretrial confinement, and sentencing outcomes. However, little attention has been aimed at exploring the effect crime rates have on individual case outcomes, despite the proven link between crime rates and incarceration rates. Further, it could be argued that individuals arrested in higher crime neighborhoods pose a greater “threat” of engaging in future crime, leading to more harsh response from criminal justice actors, such as judges. Guided by the focal concerns perspective, the current study attempts to examine the influence that crime rates of the neighborhood of arrest have on judicial decision-making at the pretrial and sentencing phases of processing defendants arrested for unlawful use/possession of a weapon in a Midwest city. Results and policy implications will be presented.

Author

• Joshua H. Williams, University of Missouri - St. Louis