Analysis of Criminal Court Case Outcomes Among Indigent Defendants in McLennan County, Texas

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dc.contributor.advisorNorth, Charles
dc.contributor.authorBoylan, Caroline
dc.contributor.departmentBaylor Business Fellows.en_US
dc.contributor.otherBaylor University.en_US
dc.contributor.schoolshonors collegeen_US
dc.date.accessioned2020-05-22T13:00:35Z
dc.date.available2020-05-22T13:00:35Z
dc.date.copyright2020
dc.date.issued2020-05-22
dc.description.abstractThe indigent defense system in the United States has been criticized for its unfair treatment of criminal defendants below a certain poverty level. This thesis employs statistical methods to analyze whether or not indigent defendants in McLennan County are dealt worse consequences than defendants who can afford to hire an attorney. I utilize ordinary least squares and logistic regressions in order to analyze the effect of various variables on sentence length, conviction rates, and the likelihood of a plea agreement. I specifically analyze the effect of indigence on these outcome variables. I also conduct a regression discontinuity design to explore whether defendants on either side of the indigence cutoff face longer sentence lengths and more convictions. My results indicate that indigent defendants may in fact encounter worse outcomes than non-indigent defendants, showing that our indigent defense system may be in need of some substantial change.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2104/10888
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rightsBaylor University projects are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.en_US
dc.rights.accessrightsWorldwide accessen_US
dc.subjectCriminal Law.en_US
dc.subjectIndigent Defense.en_US
dc.subjectSixth Amendment Right to Fair Trial.en_US
dc.titleAnalysis of Criminal Court Case Outcomes Among Indigent Defendants in McLennan County, Texasen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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