PROSECUTOR PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME SERIOUSNESS

• NCJ Number: 54928
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume: 69 Issue: 2 Dated: (SUMMER 1978) Pages: 232-242
• Author(s): J A ROTH
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 11 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-016-76
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Northwestern University
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

USING A SAMPLE OF 909 ASSISTANT PROSECUTORS FROM 23 OFFICES AROUND THE COUNTRY, THE SELLIN-WOLFGANG EXPERIMENT EXAMINING THE PROSECUTOR'S MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (PROMIS) WAS REPLICATED.

Abstract

A SELLIN-WOLFGANG EXPERIMENT, CONDUCTED IN 1964, DEVELOPED AN INDEX SCALE OF CRIME SERIOUSNESS. THIS SCALE HAS BEEN USED EXTENSIVELY IN PROMIS. HOWEVER, RECENTLY, THE USE OF DATA GATHERED IN 1964 HAS BEEN QUESTIONED. THE PRESENT STUDY USED DATA COLLECTED IN 1976, FROM 23 PROSECUTORS' OFFICES. BESIDES PRODUCING A NEW CRIME SERIOUSNESS INDEX FOR USE IN PROMIS, THIS REPLICATION STUDY PERMITTED ANALYSES OF FOUR RESEARCH QUESTIONS: (1) DO CRIME SERIOUSNESS PERCEPTIONS OF ASSISTANT PROSECUTORS DIFFER SYSTEMATICALLY BY PLACE OF RESIDENCE; (2) ARE PROSECUTOR PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME SERIOUSNESS AFFECTED BY SUCH RATER CHARACTERISTICS AS AGE, RACE, SEX, AND LENGTH OF EXPERIENCE; (3) DO PROSECUTORS RELATE SERIOUSNESS AND DOLLAR VALUES ACCORDING TO THE POWER FUNCTION OF MONEY OBSERVED BY SELLIN AND WOLFGANG; AND (4) HOW DO WHITE-COLLAR, DRUG-RELATED, AND OTHER CRIMES COMPARE IN SERIOUSNESS TO STREET CRIMES ANALYZED IN PREVIOUS STUDIES? IT WAS FOUND THAT THIS STUDY'S VERSION OF THE SELLIN-WOLFGANG SCALE REPLICATED THE ORIGINAL SCALE IN MOST RESPECTS. THE TEST FOR CROSS-JURISDICTIONAL DIFFERENCES REVEALED THAT SCALES FROM ONLY TWO JURISDICTIONS DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE AGGREGATE SCALE. A TEST OF THE EFFECT OF RATER CHARACTERISTICS ON SCORES REVEALED THAT MARRIED PROSECUTORS MAKE STRONGER DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN TRIVIAL AND SERIOUS CRIMES THAN DO THEIR SINGLE COLLEAGUES. PREVIOUS RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERIOUSNESS AND VALUES ASSIGNED WAS ALSO CONFIRMED. A POWER FUNCTION RELATING THESE QUANTITIES WAS ESTIMATED. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT WHITE-COLLAR CRIMES INVOLVING $10,000 WERE VIEWED AS MORE SERIOUS THAN LARCENY OF THE SAME AMOUNT. TABLES AND FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. (MLC)