Doctoral Dissertation Research: The People and Process of Federal Criminal Cases

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A substantial proportion of Americans come into contact with a criminal trial court at some point in their lives. The process of adjudicating criminal cases asserts significant personal, financial, and social costs. This study will investigate the dynamic multi-stage process of the criminal case and what role courtroom professionals have in its development. Specifically, this study examines what influence judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors have on the outcomes faced by the accused. In so doing, it hopes to offer findings that may improve the administration of justice in America.This project will collect original data on the processing of federal criminal cases. It uses a stratified random sample of 9,200 cases of sentenced defendants from 23 federal district courts for 2006 to 2013. Specific areas of inquiry in the subsequent statistical analysis include whether a defendant is released or held in a detention facility pending trial, the amount of time it takes for each case to be adjudicated, and the severity of sentence imposed upon the convicted defendant. The study will consider how the backgrounds and preferences of judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors impact these essential stages. The results will give key insights into trial court decision-making, which remains underexplored by much of the current research.