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22 Crim. Just. Pol'y Rev. 3 (2011)

handle is hein.journals/cjpr22 and id is 1 raw text is: Articles Criminal Justice Policy Review 22(1)3-26 Gang-Related Homicide ©2011 SAGE Publications Reprints and permission: http://www. Charging Decisions: The sagepub.... jo.... sPermissi ... DOI: I10.1I177/0887403410361626 Implementation of a http://cip.sagepub.comn Specialized Prosecution $SAGE Unit in Los Angeles David C. Pyrooz',Scott E.Wolfe', and Cassia Spohn' Abstract This study examines prosecutorial decisions to reject gang-related homicide charges. Focusing on a large, traditional gang jurisdiction-Los Angeles-the authors investigate the effect of victim, suspect, and incident characteristics on the likelihood of case rejection for 614 homicide suspects.The data were collected by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office to evaluate Operation Hardcore, a specialized prosecution unit initiated to address the complexities of prosecuting violent gang-related crimes. These data, which captured decisions made in one of the nation's largest district attorney's offices, provide a unique glimpse into how a jurisdiction addressed the growing problem of gang violence. Overall, the results of this study shed light on how prosecutors charge gang-related homicides and how multiple victim cases-which potentially attract more public attention-may influence such decisions. Moreover, the findings also have implications for specialized prosecution units, as they were found to reduce the likelihood of case rejection. Policy implications and directions for future research are offered. Keywords charging decisions, homicide, gangs, prosecutors, specialized units, victimization, Los Angeles 'Arizona State University Corresponding Author: David C. Pyrooz, School of Criminology and Criminal JusticeArizona State University, 411 N. Central Ave., Phoenix,AZ 85004 E-mail: David.Pyrooz@asu.edu

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