Do prosecutor and defendant race pairings matter? Evidence from random assignment
中文摘要
刑事司法结果中的种族差异已有充分记录。然而，关于检察官与被告的种族配对是否促成这些差异，现有证据甚少。本文检验检察官定罪中的种族配对效应。我利用纽约县早期案件评估局（Early Case Assessment Bureau）的行政数据，借助轻罪案件在条件意义上近似随机的分案。总体而言，以及在毒品、人身和其他犯罪中，我几乎未发现种族配对效应的证据。相比之下，我发现财产犯罪中存在稳健的 5 个百分点（8%）的种族配对效应。其潜在模式由黑人被告结果的差异所驱动，而白人被告的定罪率在不同检察官种族间几乎相同。结果似乎由减少使用考虑撤销起诉的延期（adjournment in contemplation of dismissal）——一种自由裁量的检察宽宥形式——所驱动。
Abstract
Racial disparities in criminal justice outcomes are well documented. However, there is little evidence on whether the pairing of prosecutors and defendants contributes to these disparities. This paper tests for race-pairing effects in convictions by prosecutors. I leverage conditionally as-good-as-random assignment of misdemeanor cases using administrative data from New York County’s Early Case Assessment Bureau. I find little evidence of race-pairing effects overall or for drug, person, and other offenses. In contrast, I find a robust 5 percentage point (8 percent) race-pairing effect for property crimes. The underlying pattern is driven by differences in outcomes for Black defendants, while conviction rates for White defendants are nearly identical across prosecutor race. Results appear driven by reduced use of adjournments in contemplation of dismissal, a discretionary form of prosecutorial leniency.