Bandyopadhyay, Siddhartha and McCannon, Bryan (2014) Queuing up for justice : elections and case backlogs. Discussion Paper. University of Birmingham, University of Birmingham.
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Abstract
We analyze the impact of prosecutor elections on case backlogs. Previous evidence has shown that re-election pressures result in more cases going to trial. Since trials require time and resources, one can expect an
effect on the queue. Two competing theories are developed: one of signaling quality in an asymmetric information environment and one of effort exertion, each of which can explain increased trials before election, but differ in their predictions regarding the impact on backlogs. A district-level, panel data set of caseload flows in North Carolina is analyzed. Evidence is presented that contested re-elections are associated with a decrease in the number of cases handled and an acceleration of the growth of the backlog. This suggests that retention concerns lead to signaling which causes distortions, re-allocating resources from disposing cases to prosecuting cases at trial.
| Type of Work: | Monograph (Discussion Paper) |
|---|---|
| School/Faculty: | Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Social Sciences |
| Number of Pages: | 38 |
| Department: | Economics |
| Date: | 16 September 2014 |
| Series/Collection Name: | Birmingham Business School Discussion Paper Series |
| Keywords: | case backlog, elections, prosecutor |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) |
| Copyright Status: | The discussion paper is copyright of the University, the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights in respect of this work are defined by the The Copyright Designs and Parents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this paper must be in accordance with theta legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Copies of the paper may be distributed and quotations used for research and study purposes, with due attribution. However, commercial distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. |
| Copyright Holders: | The Authors and the University |
| ID Code: | 1925 |
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