The Effect of Marijuana Legalization on Jail Populations in Washington State

• NCJ Number: 304177
• Journal: Prison Journal Volume: 100 Issue: 4 Dated: 2020 Pages: 510-530
• Author(s): Duane Stanton; Xiaohan Mei; Sohee Kim; Dale Willits; Mary Stohr; Craig Hemmens; Guangzhen Wu; Ruibin Lu; David Makin; Nicholas Lovrich,
• Date Published: September 2020
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2016-R2-CX-0058
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Effects of Marijuana Legalization on Law Enforcement and Crime

Annotation

Since advocates of marijuana legalization in Washington State argued that it would decrease the jail population and reduce the disproportionate incarceration of minorities, reasoning that the police would refocus their resources on other matters, the current study examined whether this occurred after marijuana was legalized in the state in 2012.

Abstract

In evaluating whether the assumption occurred, this study examined jail booking data using a set of interrupted time-series regression models. The findings indicate that jail population trends differed among counties across time and with respect to impacts on minorities and women. Regarding ethnic and racial disproportionate impact, there was apparently little positive change. (publisher abstract modified)