The prosecutor's cut: Body-worn camera evidence and criminal case dispositions

Abstract

Research summary

In recent years, a growing form of evidence tied to criminal cases has been police body-worn camera (BWC) footage. In many jurisdictions, the majority of cases include BWC evidence, though limited research examines how this evidence impacts prosecutorial decision-making and case outcomes. In this study, we examine this issue using 7 years (2016–2022) of prosecution data (N = 29,923) from a large urban jurisdiction in Maryland. We use covariate balancing propensity score weighting to equate treatment (BWC) and control (non-BWC) cases on baseline characteristics, and assess the impact of BWC evidence on a variety of downstream outcomes. Our results indicate that BWC evidence impacts the likelihood of nolle pros decisions and guilty pleas, reduces case-processing time, and alters incarceration sentences following guilty pleas, though the effects are conditioned by crime type and are strongest for cases initiated by “on-view” arrests.

Policy implications

The rapid adoption of BWCs has strained the resources of local prosecutor's offices. Empirical knowledge establishing whether, and under what conditions, BWC footage provides useful evidence during prosecution is critical to informing decisions about the costs and benefits of BWC adoption and the development of evidence-based practices for the use of BWC footage during the court process. Our findings show that BWC evidence has significant impacts on case processing outcomes, but these effects depend on the characteristics of the offense in question. Our results help to inform decisions concerning the implementation and scope of BWC programs, as well as strategies outlining the use of BWC footage during prosecution.