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Prosecutorial Discretion And Decision Making : Processing Sexual Assault Cases, Megan Kennedy
Prosecutorial Discretion And Decision Making : Processing Sexual Assault Cases, Megan Kennedy
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
This dissertation examines prosecutorial discretion and decision making in the processing of sexual assault cases. The literature has long focused on the idea that prosecutors make decisions with the goal of avoiding uncertainty, the uncertainty being a potential acquittal. Researchers suggest this goal is the result of prosecutors’ beliefs that professional advancement is dependent upon one’s conviction record. Much of the research in this area has relied upon quantitative methods and analyses. The results of the analyses lead researchers to infer that prosecutors do indeed make charging decisions with an eye toward avoiding uncertainty. Specifically related to sexual assault cases, …
The "New Civil Rights" : The Innocence Movement And American Criminal Justice, Robert Norris
The "New Civil Rights" : The Innocence Movement And American Criminal Justice, Robert Norris
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Few issues have captivated the criminal justice world in recent years like wrongful convictions. An advocacy network has developed around the United States, responsible for exonerating more than 1,500 individuals and successfully passing reforms at all levels of criminal justice policy and practice. This "innocence movement" has been described as a "revolution" and a "new civil rights movement," yet has rarely been examined in-depth by scholars. In this dissertation, I explore the history and theoretical underpinnings of the movement through interviews with 37 actors involved in innocence work, archival materials, and observational research. I draw on the rich body of …