Citation in Lieu of Arrest
Key Points
- 1) Arrests are disruptive and costly for law enforcement officers, arrestees and society at large.
- 2) Citation in lieu of arrest programs can avoid these problems while potentially improving recidivism outcomes and immediately connecting individuals to relevant services.
- 3) Any expansion of citation programs, however, must account for potential net-widening effects, the program’s effect on racial and ethnic disparities and any related changes in failure to appear rates
- 4) Policymakers should expand citation eligibility and create presumptions in favor of citations, along with rigorous data collection and analysis on their use to help combat any unintended side effects.