Examining the Relationship Between Prosecutor Characteristics and Court Outcomes

Even though prosecutors play one of the most influential roles in the criminal justice system, few studies examine these actors. The few studies that do investigate prosecutorial decision-making look at characteristics of the offender or victim, but rarely look at the characteristics of the prosecutors themselves. The purpose of this dissertation is to take a closer look at prosecutors and examine prosecutorial characteristics in relation to county court outcomes. Specifically, this study examines prosecutor characteristics (such as race, gender, experience, and political party) in relation to county court outcomes (such as charge filings, charge reductions, and incarceration) using a three-level hierarchal linear analysis of longitudinal data from 4,568,857 felony cases, nested within 64 Florida counties, nested within 20 judicial circuits over a 10-year period (2009 – 2018). This dissertation fills gaps in the literature regarding the role of prosecutors and county courts and serves as a launching point for future research.