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61 B.C. L. Rev. 971 (2020)
Misdemeanors by the Numbers

handle is hein.journals/bclr61 and id is 988 raw text is: 







      MISDEMEANORS BY THE NUMBERS




                            SANDRA   G MAYSON
                          MEGAN T.   STEVENSON


INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 973

I. EIGHT MISDEMEANOR SYSTEMS .............................................................................................. 983
  A . The Eight Jurisdictions ......................................................................................................983

  B. Common Elements in Misdemeanor Law and Practice......................................................984

  C. Variation in Misdemeanor Law and Practice ....................................................................989
  D. The Datasets ......................................................................................................................992

II. A CROSS-JURISDICTIONAL STUDY OF MISDEMEANOR COURT RECORDS ............................... 996
  A. Overview Metrics ...............................................................................................................996
     1. Defendant Demographics ..............................................................................................996
     2. Case-Filing Rates ..........................................................................................................998
     3. Charges Per Case.........................................................................................................1001
     4. Defense Representation Rates .....................................................................................1002
     5. Case Duration..............................................................................................................1003
     6. Trial and Conviction Rates ..........................................................................................1004
     7. Racial Disparities.........................................................................................................1005
  B. Bond and Pretrial Detention............................................................................................ 1008

  C. Sentencing........................................................................................................................ 1012
III. WHAT THE NUMBERS REVEAL ............................................................................................ 1014
  A. The Scale of Misdemeanor Justice (Again) ......................................................................1014

  B. M       isdem       eanor Injustice ..................................................................................................... 1016

  C. Uniform ity A m id Variation .............................................................................................. 1018
IV. THE CHALLENGE OF HETEROGENEITY ................................................................................ 1019
  A. Schrdinger's Crime? ...................................................................................................... 1019

  B. The Study of Misdemeanor Justice...............................................................................1023
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 1027
APPENDIX A: EIGHT MISDEMEANOR SYSTEMS-DETAILS AND SOURCES ............................... 1028

APPENDIX B: OFFENSE GROUPINGS .......................................................................................... 1044















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