Enforcement of Lower-Level Offenses in New York City: Findings from the Misdemeanor Justice Project

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

The current panel will extend prior work from the Misdemeanor Justice Project (MJP) in New York City. The MJP seeks to understand the enforcement and processing of lower-level offenses, and strives to provide an empirical framework for data-driven policy initiatives at local, state, and national levels. Each of the following papers focuses on structural and neighborhood characteristics associated with misdemeanor arrests, the issuance of criminal summonses, and pedestrian stops. The first paper will focus on geographic variation at the precinct level for misdemeanor arrests, and examine correlates of that variation. The second paper will examine structural factors that are associated with the issuance of summonses. The third paper will examine precinct-level and individual-level factors that predict whether a summons is found legally insufficient (i.e., enough information supporting the allegation is not included). The fourth paper will explore the enforcement of pedestrian stops among young people (13 to 25 year-olds). Taken together, this panel delves into individual and systemic factors associated with the enforcement of lower-level offenses including misdemeanor arrests, criminal summonses, and pedestrian stops. We seek to highlight the nuances of these high-volume activities, which are central to police-community relationships.

Sub Unit

• Area VIII. Policing / 44. Police, Communities, and Legitimacy

Division of Special Interest

• Divisions of Special Interest / Division of Communities and Place

Individual Presentations

• Geographic Variation in Misdemeanor Arrests Over Time in New York City - Jacqueline Scott, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Evan Misshula, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Meredith L. Patten, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice

• The Structural Factors Associated with the Issuance of Court Summonses in New York City - Celina Cuevas, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Kevin Wolff, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY

• Examining the Predictors of Legally Insufficient Summonses - Evan Misshula, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Jacqueline Scott, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Meredith L. Patten, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice

• Policing Youth: Exploring the Predictors of Pedestrian Stops and Use-of-Force Among 13-25 Year-Olds in New York City - Olive Lu, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Celina Cuevas, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Preeti Chauhan, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY

Chair

• Preeti Chauhan, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY

Discussant

• Jeremy Travis, Laura and John Arnold Foundation