"'Data Can Be Manipulated': How Prosecutors' Attitudes Toward Racial Disparities and Data-Informed Decision-Making Diverge" (by Maria Arndt and Rachel Silverthorn): Review 2

Vote: Publish pending minor changes

As scholars and many practitioners push for more data to drive better decision-making in criminal justice, little is known about how prosecutors view data. Additionally, there have been few qualitative studies on prosecutors. Therefore, this study makes a significant and timely contribution to the literature on both fronts.

The manuscript is well-written, provides a thorough overview of past studies, has a strong methodology, and provides clear and useful findings. The divergence between “pro-data” and “data-hesitant” prosecutors is interesting and can provide a foundation for future studies. The three themes that emerged within each group can also spark additional studies into prosecutorial decision-making and the use of data.

The manuscript also ends strongly with a good review of the limitations and implications of the study.

Overall, the manuscript is well-organized and very solid. I commend the authors for a job well done. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the paper.

I only noticed a few very minor writing errors that need to be fixed before publication:

Page 4: “For example, prosecutors may Prosecutors overwhelmingly assert that they are guided by ‘doing the right thing’…”

Page 7: “The current study poses three research questions:”…however, only 2 are listed.

Page 15: “In a related sentiment, some prosecutors also acknowledged the need to streamline case processing in addition to increasing data collecting capacity, with on prosecutor saying…”