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                            Library & Multimedia
 Working Smarter on Cold Cases: Identifying Factors Associated with Successful Cold Case Investigations
NCJ Number
              246593

Author(s)
          Robert C. Davis M.S., Carl J. Jensen III Ph.D., Lane Burgette Ph.D., Kathryn Burnett M.A.
Date Published

March 2014
Length
              8 pages
Annotation
              Cold case squads have garnered much attention; however, they have yet to undergo significant empirical scrutiny.
Abstract
              Cold case squads have garnered much attention; however, they have yet to undergo significant empirical scrutiny. In the present study, the authors interviewed investigators and reviewed 189 solved and unsolved cold cases in Washington, D.C., to determine whether there are factors that can predict cold case solvability. In the interviews, new information from witnesses or information from new witnesses was cited as the most prevalent reason for case clearance. The case reviews determined that there were factors in each of the following domains that predicted whether cases would be solved during cold case investigations: Crime Context, Initial Investigation Results, Basis for Opening Cold Case, and Cold Case Investigator Actions. The results suggest that it is possible to prioritize cold case work based on the likelihood of investigations leading to clearances.
      
  
          Additional Details
Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Award
        Evidence-Based Model Programs for Cold Case Units
    
  
  
Date Published: March 1, 2014
    
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