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10.9: Prosecutorial Discretion and Charging Decisions

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    324940
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    Prosecutors wield enormous power in determining who enters the criminal legal system and under what charges, making their decisions a critical site for examining racial disparities. Research reveals substantial racial inequities in prosecutorial decision-making, with African American defendants more likely to be charged with offenses carrying mandatory minimum sentences and less likely to benefit from diversion programs or plea agreements that reduce charges (Prison Policy Initiative. n.d.). These disparities persist even when controlling for offense severity and criminal history.

    A study of felony cases in a large urban jurisdiction found that prosecutors were more likely to file charges against Black defendants than similarly situated White defendants, and once charged, Black defendants faced more severe charges (Prison Policy Initiative. n.d.). This racial gap in charging decisions has cumulative effects throughout the legal process, as more serious charges typically lead to higher bail amounts, greater pressure to accept plea deals, and longer sentences upon conviction. The racialized exercise of prosecutorial discretion represents a largely invisible but profoundly consequential mechanism through which racial disparities are produced and amplified within the criminal legal system.


    10.9: Prosecutorial Discretion and Charging Decisions is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.