A bail of two cities: Atlanta vs. Philadelphia, the first criminal court phase
Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This study examines bail operational procedures in Atlanta and Philadelphia. These two urban cities were chosen to provide a comparative analysis of bail systems based on geographical location (northeast and south). The comparison with an agency in the South is being done to examine the thesis in the criminal justice literature that the South has different criminal justice practices than most other locations. Specifically, race/ethnic disparities in arrest rates, trial outcomes and sentencing practices provide support for this thesis. Conducting an organizational analysis of the bail system will help structure the methodology for the project. The objective is to investigate the individuals‟ roles, the group process and the structure of the organization of bail in order to provide clarity on how the system(s) actually work. The social organization of both locales offers more insight to how the administration of bail produces disparate outcomes. This dissertation offered a more holistic view of operational bail procedures.