The Downstream Effects of Body-worn Cameras: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

By virtue of their ability to capture evidence of criminal behavior, body-worn cameras (BWCs) have been associated with enhanced investigations and prosecutions. To date, however, research on these outcomes has been inconsistent, and there has been no attempt to systematically review or synthesize the results of these studies. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 experimental and quasi-experimental studies examining the impact of BWCs on prosecutorial and court-related outcomes. In aggregate, we find no significant effects of BWCs across any reported outcome measure, however, we find that studies focused on domestic violence offenses are associated with significant and large treatment effects across most outcome measures. While these results show promise, extant domestic violence studies are generally quasi-experimental in nature, and thus the effect of crime type cannot currently be separated from that of research design. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.