Marking Time: Does Race Make a Difference? A Study of Disparate Sentencing in South Dakota

• NCJ Number: 125717
• Journal: Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: (1990) Pages: 86-102
• Author(s): S Feimer; F Pommersheim; S Wise
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This paper is an empirical examination of suspected racial disparity in sentencing between white and Native American prison inmates. The analysis focused on male inmates in a northern plains State prison during 1985.

Abstract

The study is based on a sample of 602 inmates, 455 whites (75.6 percent) and 147 Native Americans (24.4 percent). According to our data, there was no significant difference in sentence length between whites and Native Americans. However, when the operationalized punishment severity variable was examined, a statistically significant difference did appear between the races. The article also examines some of the factors which may contribute to the differences in punishment severity. 8 tables, 9 references. (Author abstract)