Pre-trial Risk Analysis

Our goal is to create and evaluate recidivism prediction models using publicly available dat

Presumptive Nonprosecution and Racial Disparities

How have shifts toward presumptive nonprosecution policies affected racial disparities in current (prosecution and conviction) and future (arrest, prosecution, and conviction on new charges) penal system outcomes? Does such a shift reduce or increase racial disparities for outcomes of concern? Our analysis will focus on two jurisdictions in which District Attorneys have recently implemented presumptive nonprosecution policies: Suffolk County, Massachusetts and Durham County, North Carolina. We will analyze administrative data from each jurisdiction’s court system to explore the extent to which presumptive nonprosecution policies impacted prosecution, and conviction outcomes among impacted defendants in their current and subsequent cases