Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Criminology

Major Professor

Lyndsay Boggess, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Mateus Santos, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Michael Lynch, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Ojmarrh Mitchell, Ph.D.

Keywords

Progressive prosecutors, Racial/Ethnic disparities, Drug arrests, Violent arrest

Abstract

The prominent issue of racial disparities in arrest in the criminal justice system is well documented. One proposed mechanism for addressing these disparities in the criminal justice system is the emergence of progressive prosecutors. Progressive prosecutors are vastly different than traditional prosecution through the approach to their roles in the criminal justice system. Traditional prosecutors prioritize convictions and punishment, often seeking maximum sentences for defendants and relying on the traditional model of tough-on-crime policies. Progressive prosecutors pledge to reform the criminal justice system by declining to prosecute certain low-level offenses, expanding diversion programs, and explicitly addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities. Little research, however, has examined the validity of such claims by assessing whether prosecutors' philosophies (i.e., progressive vs. traditional) ultimately contribute to reductions in arrest and arrest disparities. In the current dissertation, I employ a heterogenous difference-in-differences model to examine the relationship between prosecutorial philosophy and arrests and racial disparities in arrests from 2000 - 2019 using county-level arrest data in California. Overall, my findings indicate that counties that elected progressive prosecutors experienced a statistically significant decrease in Black-White racial disparities in arrests for violent crime and a marginally significant decrease in Black-White and Hispanic-White disparities in drug arrests.

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