Wayne Welsh, Philip Harris: Criminal Justice Policy and Planning, 4th Edition

Case Studies with Questions and Answers

Chapter 06: Evaluating Outcomes

Scenario based on Case Study 6–1 (Evaluation of an Illegal Immigration Enforcement Policy)

Between 2000 and 2006, Prince William County experienced a large increase in the number of Hispanic residents. Concerns were raised not only about the possibility that many of these new residents were illegal immigrants, but that crimes associated with this population were also increasing. The County Board soon passed an illegal immigration law requiring police officers to inquire about the status of any person stopped for any reason and for whom there was probable cause to suspect their immigration status. It also reduced county services to all persons found to be illegal immigrants. After only two months, the law enforcement part of the policy was revised to target only persons arrested for a law violation, thus narrowing the number of potential illegal status checks. This was done to avoid claims of ethnic profiling. The illegal immigration policy was designed to reduce the number of illegal immigrants, street crime and public disorder incidents, and to reduce chances that county revenues were being expended on services to illegal immigrants. At the same time, the County Board wanted to protect the general reputation of the county.

Questions

What kind of comparison group was used to determine if the policy was having an impact?

Correct Answer

Such a policy does not lend itself to random selection. Nor would there be adequate comparison groups within the county. The solution, then, was to compare results with adjacent counties.

What kinds of data or indicators were collected and analyzed?

Correct Answer

UCR data on adjacent counties, crime data from the [Washington] Metropolitan Council of Governments, a two-wave survey of all uniformed police officers in Prince William County, a county-wide community telephone survey, and U.S. Census data, some of which were available in the form of micro-samples.

The qualitative data employed for this study included police officer focus groups, key informant interviews with government agency leaders and community stakeholders, interviews with small samples of Hispanic residents identified through community organizations, and observations of how police officers implemented the policy.

What did the evaluators conclude?

Correct Answer

The evaluators concluded that the policy reduced the illegal immigrant population in the county and leveled off growth of the Hispanic population in the county. Except for aggravated assaults, crime rates were not affected by the new policy, largely because Hispanic residents were relatively small in number and were arrested primarily for public order crimes. In addition, the reduction in aggravated assaults appears to have occurred in reaction to the announcement of the policy, not gradually in response to its implementation.