Many prosecutors run on reform platforms, which advocate lessened charges for low-level offenses.
New research uses
variation in the timing of when reform prosecutors took office across the country to estimate the resulting changes in criminal case outcomes, local reported crime rates, and drug overdose mortality rates.
These prosecutors implemented changes
such as presumptive declination policies for certain minor offenses and increased use of pretrial diversion programming … [This resulted in] reduced convictions for all misdemeanor types, with the largest reduction being for drug offenses at 39 percent.
Still, the study suggests
that reform prosecutors may not have affected reported crime… [, and it] finds no convincing evidence of an effect on drug mortality rates … [or] that reform prosecutors decreased prison incarceration rates.
Overall,
reform prosecutors’ less punitive approach may benefit both defendants and the justice system as a whole without imposing significant adverse effects on public safety.
Cross-posted from Substack.