Rapid Prosecutorial Case Screening Improves Government Efficiency and Reduces Community Harm

• In Event: Rapid Case Screening: Earlier Action, Better Outcomes

Abstract

Each day, thousands of Americans are arrested for conduct that will ultimately go unprosecuted. Despite this, delays in identifying these cases impose substantial costs on the justice system and the individuals it touches. This talk examines the cost of these delays by contrasting the status quo with rapid case screening. Drawing on existing research and original findings, we explore how delayed case resolution burdens law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, victims, and witnesses alike. We further highlight the disproportionate impact on arrestees, who may experience pretrial detention, coercive plea dynamics, disrupted lives, and criminogenic system contact. Against this backdrop, we present evidence that prosecutor offices prioritizing rapid identification of non-prosecution cases can meaningfully reduce government costs, shorten time-to-disposition, and minimize unnecessary punishment. Critically, these gains are achieved without increasing crime rates or producing adverse case-processing effects, suggesting that early declination is both a fiscally responsible and ethically sound prosecutorial strategy.

Authors

• Kevin Himberger, Justice Innovation Lab

• JJ Naddeo, U.S. Census Bureau

• Rory Pulvino, Justice Innovation Lab