The Impact of Felony Diversion in San Francisco

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Augustine, Elsa; Lacoe, Johanna; Raphael, Steven; Skog, Alissa
• 署名单位: University of Illinois System; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; University of California System; University of California Berkeley; University of California System; University of California Berkeley; University of California System; University of California Berkeley; University of California System; University of California Berkeley
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1520-7062
• DOI: 10.1002/pam.22371
• 发表日期: 2022
• 页码: 683-+
• 关键词: mental-health court; Pretrial detention; recidivism; EMPLOYMENT; crime

摘要

In the traditional criminal justice system, an arrest is followed by multiple decision points determining detention, prosecution, guilt, and sentence. Many jurisdictions across the United States (U.S.) are exploring alternative programs and approaches that consider individual needs and assessed risks at each decision point. San Francisco County uses post-filing pretrial diversion programs as alternatives to the traditional criminal justice system for defendants based on factors including social and behavioral needs. In this paper, we estimate the impact of a referral to felony pretrial diversion programs on case outcomes and subsequent criminal justice contact. To address selection bias associated with nonrandom assignment into diversion programs, we exploit the random assignment of felony cases to arraignment judges and use variation among judicial diversion referral rates as an instrument for the diversion referral. We find that a referral to diversion increases the time to disposition in the current case and decreases the probability of a subsequent conviction up to five years following case arraignment. Subgroup analyses find that the benefits of diversion are concentrated among females, those who are under the age of 25, and those facing drug sales charges.