NCJ Number
168543
Date Published
1995
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The severity of case disposition was compared for white, black, and Mexican American burglary and robbery defendants in State district courts in El Paso, Tex. and Tucson, Ariz. from January 1976 through August 1977.
Abstract
The research focused on whether the defendants were sentenced to probation, a split sentence or prison with probation, or prison. The analysis considered both the additive effects of the race variables and their interactions with other determinants of sentence severity. Results provided substantial indications of discrimination in both additive and interactive models in El Paso and considerably weaker support for discrimination in Tucson. However, differences in the criminal justice systems of the two cities may explain these differences. El Paso had a policy of stringent case screening and a prohibition on plea bargaining, whereas plea bargains were the rule in Tucson. Barriers against prejudicial charging or plea bargaining were thus formidable in El Paso and virtually nonexistent in Tucson. Thus, discrimination in charging and plea negotiations could easily have occurred at an earlier stage in Tucson; the study's focus on a later point in the adjudication process would mask the adverse outcomes. Another important factor is the sociodemographic composition of the two cities. Findings indicate that many factors may operate to the detriment of minority defendants convicted in particular jurisdiction, underscore the necessity of interacting interactions between race-ethnicity and other factors, and affirm the significance of research on race-ethnicity and sentencing. Table and 39 references (Author abstract modified)