POLICE, PROSECUTORS, AND FELONY CASE ATTRITION

Felony case attrition-felony arrests resulting in no conviction or in conviction on reduced charges- has been a long-standing issue in criminal justice. A major share of attrition has been attributed to poor relationships between police and prosecutors, which increase the chances that cases will have evidentiary problems. This article examines the results of a program meant to decrease felony case attrition by improving the coordination between police and prosecutors in the case preparation process. The research shows that the program had only modest effects on case attrition, effects that were limited to enhancing the quality rather than the quantity of convictions. The article concludes by questioning whether felony case attrition should be viewed as an exclusively negative phenomenon. © 1991.