Rachel Bowman
Biographic Data
| ID | 3846313 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rachel Bowman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rachel |
| FAMILY NAME | Bowman |
| SIGNATURE | BOWMAN R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Indiana University Bloomington |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4083-5136 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Progressive prosecution in context: Examining the impact of prosecutorial administration change on case‐processing patterns and racial disparities
Race and ethnicity in the courtroom workgroup: Can diversifying the court solve racial and ethnic disparities in case outcomes
OBJECTIVE: Racial and ethnic disparities in criminal court outcomes in the United States are a persistent problem, one that is often attributed to the considerable discretion court actors have in determining whether, and to what extent, to punish criminal defendants. To reduce unwarranted disparities and overzealous sanctioning in U.S. courts, many have called for increasing the diversity of the court workforce. This article empirically examines …
Disruption in the Court Community: Understanding the Barriers to Prosecution Reform
Sociolegal scholarship tends to emphasize the vast discretionary power of prosecutors. Yet, the election of progressive prosecutors raises the question of whether their power is absolute, or whether it is contingent on abiding by traditional prosecutorial norms. Using semistructured interviews with prosecutors and staff in two jurisdictions led by progressive prosecutors ( n = 43), this study examines the barriers to prosecution reform posed by o…
Is it hard to remember?” attorneys’ questions about children’s memory in child sexual abuse trials
I've seen injustice”: Challenging colorblindness in prosecution
Although substantial research has demonstrated that racial inequality persists across multiple spheres of daily life, many Americans, including prosecutors, deny or minimize the relevance of race. This environment, however, is shifting post George Floyd's murder and as greater numbers of progressive prosecutors have taken office across the country. Using in‐depth interviews with prosecutors (N = 107) in six offices, we examine how prosecutors con…
An integrated model of prosecutor decision-making
Sociolegal scholarship has long noted the many ways in which the law is interpreted and selectively applied by human decision-makers. Yet, the processes underlying one of the most significant discretionary waypoints in the criminal legal process - prosecutorial charging decisions - remain opaque. Using data from interviews and focus groups with prosecutors in three midsized jurisdictions, we propose a model of charging that integrates legal consi…
Gender in the Courtroom Workgroup: Understanding the Relationship Between the Composition of Workgroups and the Gender Gap in Punishment
For decades, research has revealed a gender disparity in criminal case outcomes. This phenomenon was traditionally explained as a product of male court actors’ protectiveness of women and the minimization of female threat. In the current study, we capitalize on the increasing gender diversity of courts to examine if the gender gap in punishment is explained by the gender composition of the decision-making body in criminal courts: the courtroom wo…
“Heart and Soul of a Prosecutor”: The Impact of Prosecutor Role Orientation on Charging Decisions
In most research, prosecutors are depicted monolithically as “interchangeable parts” rather than as individuals with varied perspectives. Yet, the prosecution is becoming increasingly diverse, a shift that is likely accompanied by different approaches to prosecution. Drawing upon the concepts of role orientation and job crafting, we identify three primary orientations to the job of a prosecutor, that of the Enforcer, the Reformer, and the Advocat…
Interacting Race/Ethnicity and Legal Factors on Sentencing Decisions: A Test of the Liberation Hypothesis
The purpose of the current study was to assess how well the liberation hypothesis explained sentencing decisions in Pennsylvania. Using eight years of data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (2009–2016), we tested for the liberation hypothesis through the interaction of race/ethnicity with legal factors (offense gravity score and prior record score). In using a hurdle count model, it combined a logistic regression to predict the incar…
An integrated model of prosecutor decision-making
Sociolegal scholarship has long noted the many ways in which the law is interpreted and selectively applied by human decision-makers. Yet, the processes underlying one of the most significant discretionary waypoints in the criminal legal process - prosecutorial charging decisions - remain opaque. Using data from interviews and focus groups with prosecutors in three midsized jurisdictions, we propose a model of charging that integrates legal consi…
Interacting Race/Ethnicity and Legal Factors on Sentencing Decisions: A Test of the Liberation Hypothesis
The purpose of the current study was to assess how well the liberation hypothesis explained sentencing decisions in Pennsylvania. Using eight years of data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (2009–2016), we tested for the liberation hypothesis through the interaction of race/ethnicity with legal factors (offense gravity score and prior record score). In using a hurdle count model, it combined a logistic regression to predict the incar…
Interacting Race/Ethnicity and Legal Factors on Sentencing Decisions: A Test of the Liberation Hypothesis
The purpose of the current study was to assess how well the liberation hypothesis explained sentencing decisions in Pennsylvania. Using eight years of data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (2009–2016), we tested for the liberation hypothesis through the interaction of race/ethnicity with legal factors (offense gravity score and prior record score). In using a hurdle count model, it combined a logistic regression to predict the incar…
“Heart and Soul of a Prosecutor”: The Impact of Prosecutor Role Orientation on Charging Decisions
In most research, prosecutors are depicted monolithically as “interchangeable parts” rather than as individuals with varied perspectives. Yet, the prosecution is becoming increasingly diverse, a shift that is likely accompanied by different approaches to prosecution. Drawing upon the concepts of role orientation and job crafting, we identify three primary orientations to the job of a prosecutor, that of the Enforcer, the Reformer, and the Advocat…
Gender in the Courtroom Workgroup: Understanding the Relationship Between the Composition of Workgroups and the Gender Gap in Punishment
For decades, research has revealed a gender disparity in criminal case outcomes. This phenomenon was traditionally explained as a product of male court actors’ protectiveness of women and the minimization of female threat. In the current study, we capitalize on the increasing gender diversity of courts to examine if the gender gap in punishment is explained by the gender composition of the decision-making body in criminal courts: the courtroom wo…
An integrated model of prosecutor decision-making
Sociolegal scholarship has long noted the many ways in which the law is interpreted and selectively applied by human decision-makers. Yet, the processes underlying one of the most significant discretionary waypoints in the criminal legal process - prosecutorial charging decisions - remain opaque. Using data from interviews and focus groups with prosecutors in three midsized jurisdictions, we propose a model of charging that integrates legal consi…
Is it hard to remember?” attorneys’ questions about children’s memory in child sexual abuse trials
I've seen injustice”: Challenging colorblindness in prosecution
Although substantial research has demonstrated that racial inequality persists across multiple spheres of daily life, many Americans, including prosecutors, deny or minimize the relevance of race. This environment, however, is shifting post George Floyd's murder and as greater numbers of progressive prosecutors have taken office across the country. Using in‐depth interviews with prosecutors (N = 107) in six offices, we examine how prosecutors con…
Progressive prosecution in context: Examining the impact of prosecutorial administration change on case‐processing patterns and racial disparities
Race and ethnicity in the courtroom workgroup: Can diversifying the court solve racial and ethnic disparities in case outcomes
OBJECTIVE: Racial and ethnic disparities in criminal court outcomes in the United States are a persistent problem, one that is often attributed to the considerable discretion court actors have in determining whether, and to what extent, to punish criminal defendants. To reduce unwarranted disparities and overzealous sanctioning in U.S. courts, many have called for increasing the diversity of the court workforce. This article empirically examines …
Disruption in the Court Community: Understanding the Barriers to Prosecution Reform
Sociolegal scholarship tends to emphasize the vast discretionary power of prosecutors. Yet, the election of progressive prosecutors raises the question of whether their power is absolute, or whether it is contingent on abiding by traditional prosecutorial norms. Using semistructured interviews with prosecutors and staff in two jurisdictions led by progressive prosecutors ( n = 43), this study examines the barriers to prosecution reform posed by o…
Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis (8 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Criminology (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Policing Practices and Perceptions (4 works) · Political science (4 works) · Criminal justice (3 works) · Economic Justice (3 works) · Ethnic group (3 works)