Improving Fairness and Addressing Racial Disparities in the Delaware Criminal Justice System
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2015
Abstract
The Subcommittee on Fairness in the Criminal Justice System has requested analysis of several aspects of the criminal justice system in the State of Delaware to determine whether reforms in policing, prosecution, adjudication and imprisonment can be accomplished in a way that would reduce racial disparities, while not increasing the incidence of violent crime. This memorandum summarizes existing scholarly research on police stops; pretrial detention; charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing; and alternatives to incarceration. For each topic, the memo surveys the extent to which each of these contributes to racial disparities as well as inaccuracies in criminal justice; identifies reforms that have worked elsewhere to ameliorate these problems; and considers the extent to which these reforms are compatible with preserving and improving public safety. The memorandum concludes with a brief discussion of recent scholarship that both highlights larger social factors that contribute to disparity and identifies programs and initiatives outside of the criminal justice system that might reduce racial disparities within the system.
Recommended Citation
Bibas, Stephanos; Owens, Emily; Rudovsky, David; and Mayson, Sandra, "Improving Fairness and Addressing Racial Disparities in the Delaware Criminal Justice System" (2015). Reports. 6.
https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/qc_reports/6