Changes in Enforcement of Low- Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri
Objective: to study changes inenforcement of low-level offenses and felonies in the City of St. Louis, Missouri after the high-profile events in Ferguson.Methods: dialectical approach to the cognition of social phenomena which uses the following research methods based on it: general scientific (anal...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Tatar Educational Center “Taglimat” Ltd.
2020-06-01
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Series: | Russian Journal of Economics and Law |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.rusjel.ru/jour/article/view/147 |
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author | L. A. Slocum C. Greene B. M. Huebner R. Rosenfeld |
author_facet | L. A. Slocum C. Greene B. M. Huebner R. Rosenfeld |
author_sort | L. A. Slocum |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Objective: to study changes inenforcement of low-level offenses and felonies in the City of St. Louis, Missouri after the high-profile events in Ferguson.Methods: dialectical approach to the cognition of social phenomena which uses the following research methods based on it: general scientific (analysis, synthesis, induction) and specific scientific methods (formal-legal, systemic, comparative-legal, sociological).Results: as a result of several highly publicized incidents of police killing unarmed Black suspects, many contend that American police are in the midst of a crisis. Police have faced high levels of public scrutiny that some argue has stifled police activities and led to spikes in violent crime. This phenomenon - coined in the aftermath of the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri - has become widely known as the Ferguson Effect. This study uses seven years of data and time series analysis to assess whether the events in Ferguson were associated with a reduction in arrests for felonies and low-level offenses in the nearby City of St. Louis, Missouri.Scientific novelty: it is shown that there was an initial reduction in low-level arrests of Whites and Blacks in the wake of Ferguson. Enforcement of misdemeanors and ordinance violations then increased and returned to expected levels, but only for Blacks. Post-Ferguson, felony arrests initially dropped for Blacks, but not Whites, and then climbed for both groups. This work adds to the burgeoning literature on police responses in the wake of a high-profile shooting.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific, educational and law enforcement activities when considering issues related to prevention and elimination crime. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-08T23:14:05Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-0db725202628476882389d598936a70e |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2782-2923 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-24T22:12:15Z |
publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
publisher | Tatar Educational Center “Taglimat” Ltd. |
record_format | Article |
series | Russian Journal of Economics and Law |
spelling | doaj.art-0db725202628476882389d598936a70e2024-03-20T08:16:52ZengTatar Educational Center “Taglimat” Ltd.Russian Journal of Economics and Law2782-29232020-06-0114232635110.21202/1993-047X.14.2020.2.326-351146Changes in Enforcement of Low- Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, MissouriL. A. Slocum0C. Greene1B. M. Huebner2R. Rosenfeld3University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriUniversity of MissouriUniversity of MissouriObjective: to study changes inenforcement of low-level offenses and felonies in the City of St. Louis, Missouri after the high-profile events in Ferguson.Methods: dialectical approach to the cognition of social phenomena which uses the following research methods based on it: general scientific (analysis, synthesis, induction) and specific scientific methods (formal-legal, systemic, comparative-legal, sociological).Results: as a result of several highly publicized incidents of police killing unarmed Black suspects, many contend that American police are in the midst of a crisis. Police have faced high levels of public scrutiny that some argue has stifled police activities and led to spikes in violent crime. This phenomenon - coined in the aftermath of the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri - has become widely known as the Ferguson Effect. This study uses seven years of data and time series analysis to assess whether the events in Ferguson were associated with a reduction in arrests for felonies and low-level offenses in the nearby City of St. Louis, Missouri.Scientific novelty: it is shown that there was an initial reduction in low-level arrests of Whites and Blacks in the wake of Ferguson. Enforcement of misdemeanors and ordinance violations then increased and returned to expected levels, but only for Blacks. Post-Ferguson, felony arrests initially dropped for Blacks, but not Whites, and then climbed for both groups. This work adds to the burgeoning literature on police responses in the wake of a high-profile shooting.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific, educational and law enforcement activities when considering issues related to prevention and elimination crime.https://www.rusjel.ru/jour/article/view/147crimeoffensearrest trendsmisdemeanorferguson effectde-policinginterrupted time series |
spellingShingle | L. A. Slocum C. Greene B. M. Huebner R. Rosenfeld Changes in Enforcement of Low- Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri Russian Journal of Economics and Law crime offense arrest trends misdemeanor ferguson effect de-policing interrupted time series |
title | Changes in Enforcement of Low- Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri |
title_full | Changes in Enforcement of Low- Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri |
title_fullStr | Changes in Enforcement of Low- Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri |
title_full_unstemmed | Changes in Enforcement of Low- Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri |
title_short | Changes in Enforcement of Low- Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri |
title_sort | changes in enforcement of low level and felony offenses post ferguson an analysis of arrests in st louis missouri |
topic | crime offense arrest trends misdemeanor ferguson effect de-policing interrupted time series |
url | https://www.rusjel.ru/jour/article/view/147 |
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