NCJ Number
92339
Date Published
1983
Length
22 pages
Annotation
A variety of different approaches to rating the seriousness of crimes give equivalent results in terms of modeling certain types of judicial sentencing behavior.
Abstract
In addition, including perceptually derived weights of seriousness to information on past and present crimes does not appear to improve the ability of these approaches to model judicial sentencing behavior. Nevertheless, normative consideration may make a perceptually derived scale the preferred measure of crime seriousness. Study data came from ratings of 74 crimes by 109 Florida judges and from analysis of sentences given in 5,069 felony cases in Florida. Some of the judges, who were attending their semiannual conference, completed a survey form which asked them to assign a numerical score which compared each crime, described by its statutory definition, to the baseline crime of burglary of an unoccupied structure, which was assigned a score of 100. Other judges were asked to circle a number from 1 to 11 which best represented the perceived severity of the particular offense. The 5,069 cases were examined with respect to a wide variety of factors and their relationships with the sentences given. The frequency of current and prior crimes accurately predicted the decision whether or not to incarcerate. However, the additional information on offense severity substantially improved the ability to predict the length of the incarceration sentence. Data tables, notes, and 30 references are provided.