Defendant Characteristics

This section presents information on defendant characteristics, including race, ethnicity, age, and gender.

Why is this important? Not all individuals are equally likely to come into contact with the justice system. Systemic drivers such as neighborhood, access to education, employment opportunities, family situation and health resources can impact involvement. In addition, financial resources may affect some defendants' ability to pay bail or post bond, afford private counsel, or access treatment. Effective prosecution strategies should consider ways to ensure that cases are processed fairly and impartially. Additionally, these characteristics are often important and taken into consideration when making sentencing recommendations.