CrimProf Blog

Goelzhauser on Budget Allocations and Local Death Charging Decisions

Greg Goelzhauser (Utah State University - Department of Political Science) has posted Prosecutorial Discretion under Resource Constraints: Budget Allocations and Local Death Charging Decisions (Judicature, Forthcoming) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

Do prosecutorial resource constraints influence death-charging decisions? Prosecutors typically contend that death-charging decisions are made independent of budget considerations, and the limited empirical evidence supports this view. Using new data on death-charging decisions from 301 prosecutorial districts across 34 states, the results presented here suggest that the conventional wisdom is wrong. The probability of facing a death charge is higher in prosecutorial districts with larger budgets. The results inform our understanding of the politics of prosecutorial behavior and the policy debate over capital punishment.

Top-Ten Recent SSRN Downloads

in criminal law and procedure ejournals are here. The usual disclaimers apply.

Rank	Downloads	Paper Title
1	11800	Ham Sandwich Nation: Due Process When Everything is a Crime  Glenn Harlan Reynolds,  University of Tennessee College of Law,  Date posted to database: January 20, 2013
2	414	Grading the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Guidance  Mike Koehler,  Southern Illinois University School of Law,  Date posted to database: December 14, 2012
3	390	Oasis or Mirage: The Supreme Court's Thirst for Dictionaries in the Rehnquist and Roberts Eras  James J. Brudney, Lawrence Baum,  Fordham University - School of Law, Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Political Science,  Date posted to database: January 2, 2013
4	237	Peeking Behind the Plea Bargaining Process Laurie L. Levenson,  Loyola Law School Los Angeles,  Date posted to database: December 11, 2012
5	212	Unregulated Internal Investigations: Achieving Fairness for Corporate Constituents  Bruce A. Green, Ellen S. Podgor,  Fordham University School of Law, Stetson University College of Law,  Date posted to database: December 6, 2012
6	212	Eyewitness Memory for People and Events (Chapter 25)  Gary L. Wells, Elizabeth F. Loftus,  Iowa State University, Department of Psychology , University of California, Irvine - Department of Psychology and Social Behavior,  Date posted to database: January 17, 2013
7	171	What is Philosophy of Criminal Law?  Youngjae Lee,  Fordham University School of Law,  Date posted to database: December 16, 2012
8	140	Narrative, Truth & Trial  Lisa Kern Griffin,  Duke University - School of Law,  Date posted to database: December 16, 2012 [10th last week]
9	139	Review of Patricia S. Churchland, 'Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us About Morality'  John Mikhail,  Georgetown University - Law Center,  Date posted to database: December 29, 2012
10	128	David Baldus and the Legacy of McCleskey v. Kemp  Samuel R. Gross,  University of Michigan Law School,  Date posted to database: January 15, 2013 [new to top ten]