NCJ Number
181794
Journal
Criminology Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2000 Pages: 281-306
Editor(s)
Robert J. Bursik Jr.
Date Published
2000
Length
26 pages
Annotation
A recent study of sentencing decisions in Pennsylvania identified significant interrelationships among race, gender, age, and sentence severity, and the current study analyzed how race effects were mediated by other factors.
Abstract
The current study replicated the research approach of the earlier study, examining the intersections of the effects of race, gender, and age on sentence outcomes. The earlier analysis was extended in three ways: (1) Sentence outcomes were examined in three large urban jurisdictions in Illinois (Cook County), Florida (Dade County), and Missouri (Kansas City); (2) Hispanics were included as well as blacks to test for interactions between ethnicity, age, and gender; and (3) Interactions between race and ethnicity, gender, and employment status were investigated. Results were generally but not entirely consistent with results of the Pennsylvania study. Although offender characteristics did not affect prison sentence length, each had a significant direct effect on the likelihood of incarceration in at least one of the jurisdictions. More importantly, offender characteristics interacted to produce harsher sentences for certain offender types. Young black and Hispanic males faced greater odds of incarceration than middle-aged white males, and unemployed black and Hispanic males were substantially more likely to be sentenced to prison than employed white males. The results suggest that offenders with constellations of characteristics other than "young black male" pay a punishment penalty. 32 references, 18 footnotes, and 6 tables