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The Role of Collective Efficacy in Defendants’ Acceptance of Plea Bargaining: A Perspective on Housing Density

Yu Du

The research analyzed the impact of community’s collective efficacy on defendants’ likelihood of accepting plea bargaining in Bexar County, Texas. The study used housing density in the community as a proxy of collective efficacy. Logistic regression models were used to examine the correlation between housing density and the likelihood of accepting plea deals. Propensity matching analyses were used to draw further casual relationships for certain groups of defendants. The results show that high housing density is significantly associated with high likelihood of accepting plea deals. However, the relationship disappears when controlling for defendants’ demographic characteristics and their community characteristics respectively. Furthermore, Latino/Hispanic male defendants with misdemeanor charges are more likely to accept plea bargaining if they live in communities with high housing density, compared to those who live in communities with low housing density. The limitations and future research directions are also discussed.