Misdemeanor Arrest Trends, Rates, and Outcomes in Prince George’s County, MD (2006-2015)

• In Event: Enforcement of Lower-Level Offenses in the United States: Findings from the Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice, Part I

Abstract

Enforcement of UCR Part I and felony offenses receives the bulk of attention in policing research. However, police spend the vast majority of their time dealing with lower level offenses and misdemeanors, and little is known about this area of enforcement. This paper presents misdemeanor enforcement trends, rates, and outcomes for Prince George’s County, MD, a study site in the Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice, for the period 2006-2015. Analyses describe various types of enforcement, trends in enforcement for segments of the population (based on gender, age, and race), and trends in enforcement across locations within the county. In addition, through linking police data with local corrections data, the outcomes of enforcement actions (fines and sentences) are presented.

Authors

• Emily Morgan Glazener, University of Maryland

• Meghan M. Kozlowski, University of Maryland

• James P. Lynch, University of Maryland

• Jinney Smith, University of Maryland