Research

“Concealed Carry Laws and Fatal Police Encounters”

Violent encounters between police and civilians are an important policy issue, and policymakers are eager to find ways to reduce them–particularly the unnecessary use of police force. One reason that officers may be quick to use force is fear for their personal safety, which may increase in environments with more civilian gun carriers. In this paper, I consider the effect of concealed carry laws on violent police encounters. Studying the staggered rollout of lenient concealed carry laws in the United States, I find suggestive evidence that as gun laws become more lenient, officers assaults rise. Under the most lenient gun laws, fatal police shootings of civilian increase–disproportionately affecting minorities–coupled with an indication that fewer police are killed in action. These findings emphasize the role of gun laws in the risks that officers face on the job and, in turn, their use of force against civilians. 

“Judicial Transparency and Criminal Justice”, with Felipe Diaz and Alok Ranjan

Elected officials at all levels of governance routinely make decisions that affect large populations, often without public scrutiny. This study examines the effect of increased transparency on judicial decision-making by leveraging a legislative reform that mandated public disclosure of court fee waivers. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that the share of cases with court cost waivers increased by nearly 120%. The effects varied across political districts and re-election timing, indicating that electoral incentives play a significant role in judicial responsiveness. We also find that the effect size decreases with defendant income, suggesting potential targeting of waivers for those with lower ability to pay. Additionally, transparency-induced reductions in monetary obligations led to lower recidivism rates and improved timely compliance among defendants.

“The Effect of Prosecutor Elections on Policing Patterns”, with Dvir Yogev. (Submitted)

The relationship between prosecutors and police is evolving, particularly as reform- oriented district attorneys (DAs) push for greater police accountability. This study examines police behavior before and after the San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin recall on June 7, 2022, analyzing whether officers altered enforcement patterns in response to political dynamics. Using a Regression Kink Design and data on stops, arrests, incident reports, prosecutorial decisions, and jail populations, we find a decline in police activity leading up to the recall, followed by an increase afterward–particularly in discretionary enforcement actions. Crime reporting remained relatively stable, suggesting changes in crime trends did not drive these shifts. Our findings highlight the interdependence between prosecutors and police, showing how law enforcement behavior can respond to political transitions. This underscores challenges in assessing prosecutorial policies and raises concerns about law enforcement resis- tance to accountability measures, emphasizing the need for institutional safeguards against politically influenced enforcement shifts.

“Guns, Crime, and Hetereogeneity: An Empirical Analysis of Right-to-Carry Laws”,  with Ryan Quandt

“Recreational Marijuana Laws, Inmate Composition, and Recidivism” 

Recent efforts in the criminal justice system aim to improve its effectiveness and fairness. Policy reforms have focused on areas such as drug policy, prioritization according to the seriousness of cases, as well as exploring alternatives to incarceration for low-level, non-violent crimes. A possible unintended consequence of these policies is that the decrease in admission of low-level offenders in correctional facilities can change the composition of inmates and very likely create a more hostile incarceration experience. To explore this possibility I leverage the staggered decriminalization and legalization of recreational marijuana at the state level. These laws result in fewer low-level criminals being incarcerated for marijuana-related crimes and potentially more violent offenders taking their place. Using offender-level data, this paper examines the effects of marijuana laws on the composition of inmates and analyzes how these changes in the prison population affect recidivism rates.

“The Effect of Violence Against Police on Policing Behavior”, with CarlyWill Sloan

“Prosecution Research Initiative”, with Amanda Agan, Anna Harvey, and Lauren Schechter 

An ongoing, multi-year project with $1,000,000 funding, in partnership with several large district attorneys' offices, using detailed administrative case data to study the effects of prosecutors' policies and decision making on recidivism, public safety, and racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

“Recreational Marijuana Laws, Police Performance, and Racial Disparities”