Notable Recent Publications, May 2026

Reports, Briefs, and Other Resources

‍Mikdash, M., Hoekstra, M., & Oh, S. (2026, May 12). Attorney value-added and racial disparities in the criminal justice system (Working Paper).

https://mayamikdash.github.io/Mikdash_Hoekstra_Oh_2026.pdf

Racial disparities permeate the criminal justice system, yet indigent defense attorneys remain understudied despite representing 80% of defendants. Using quasi-randomly court-appointed attorneys in a large Texas county, we show that higher-quality attorneys are less experienced and attended lower-quality law schools. Low-quality representation disproportionately harms Black defendants: a one-standard-deviation increase in quality raises Black dismissal rates nearly twice that of Whites’ (7.1% versus 3.9%), and top-10% representation increases dismissals by 12–17% and reduces jail by 13-22% relative to Whites. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest if half of court-appointed attorneys were top-10% quality, the racial gap in jail sentencing would decline by 11%.

Smith, E. (2023). Race, class, and the carceral system: An analysis of Franklin County, Ohio court records and alternatives to bail and incarceration [Honors thesis, University of Tennessee Knoxville]. TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange.

https://trace.tennessee.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/e7b61b3f-213e-49a3-9f04-95751265cf0e/content

[summarized] This study focuses on the effects of monetary bail amount and jail duration during the pretrial stage on people who are arrested. In addition, it observes how racial disparities and class disparities are present throughout the system. Using criminal court records from Franklin County Ohio Municipal Court from 2015-2019, my research question is, what racial and class disparities exist in assigned bail amount and, consequently, time spent in jail pretrial? I use attorney type (public defender/court-appointed attorney or private attorney) as a proxy for class. In addition, I examine what policies and practices can best address these disparities, promote public safety, and reduce harm.

Vranich, J. A. (2026). Translating law to psychology: public defenders’ perspectives on working with psychologists in mental health diversion [Doctoral dissertation, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

https://www.proquest.com/openview/653b6556c0b90cd9234c65e6d0d366b8/1

[shortened] While existing research demonstrates that diversion programs can reduce recidivism, a significant gap remains regarding the procedural implementation and the complex interdisciplinary communication dynamics between legal and clinical professionals. To address this gap, this transcendental phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of California public defenders navigating mental health diversion evaluations alongside assessing psychologists. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 active California public defenders and analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) modified van Kaam method until full thematic saturation was achieved. This analysis generated six overarching themes: Intrapersonal Collaboration, Legal Friction, The Assessment, Client’s Psychological Realities, Transformative Experience, and Systemic Barrier. The findings emphasize a critical need for enhanced interprofessional collaboration. Clinical evaluators should further explain diagnostic considerations and explicitly define legal nexus in their reports to satisfy judicial standards. Furthermore, county-level systemic transformations are urgently encouraged to bridge the gap between law and psychology, ensuring the justice system fulfills the therapeutic promise of rehabilitation the statute intended.

If you have suggestions, ideas for work that should be included, or trouble accessing any of the articles featured, please email Venita Embry at venita.embry@gmail.com.