Evaluating the Law Enforcement, Prosecutor, and Court Response to Firearm-related Crimes in St. Louis, 2015-2018

This study examines the entire range of case-processing decisions after arrest, from charging to sentencing of firearm-related crimes. This study analyzes the cumulative effects of each decision point, after a charge has been issued, on the subsequent decisions of criminal justice officials. It examines criminal justice decisions regarding a serious category of crime, gun-related offenses. These offenses, most of which are felonious firearm possession or firearm use cases, vary substantially with respect to bail, pretrial detention, and sentencing outcomes (Williams and Rosenfeld, 2016). The focus of this study is St. Louis, where firearm violence is a critical public problem and where neighborhoods range widely in both stability and level of disadvantage. These communities are characterized on the basis of a large number of demographic and socioeconomic indicators. The study aims to enhance understanding of the community context of the criminal justice processing of firearm-related crimes.

本研究对逮捕后案件处理决策的全过程进行了全面考察，涵盖从起诉至判决的枪支相关犯罪案件。研究分析了在起诉之后，每个决策点累积效应对刑事司法官员后续决策的影响。它探讨了针对严重类别犯罪，即枪支相关犯罪的刑事司法决策。这些犯罪，其中大部分为重罪枪支持有或枪支使用案例，在保释、预审拘留和判决结果方面存在显著差异（Williams 和 Rosenfeld，2016）。本研究聚焦于圣路易斯，该地区枪支暴力是一个关键的公共问题，且社区在稳定性和劣势水平方面存在广泛差异。这些社区基于大量的人口统计学和社会经济指标进行特征描述。研究旨在深化对枪支相关犯罪刑事司法处理社区背景的理解。