Measuring Sentencing Impacts Using Extant Data (From Sentencing & Corrections Workshop: Prepared Papers, 1996)

• NCJ Number: 163787
• Author(s): P Greenwood
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 16 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub; Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: See NCJ 163785-193790 for additional papers.

Annotation

The strongest interest in descriptive sentencing data can be found in States with a sentencing commission and guideline structure to keep the prison population within specified limits.

Abstract

Data comparisions between the States can inform policy debates about how long sentences should be, how much correctional capacity is required, and how correctional capacity should be allocated. Descriptive sentencing data can also be used by researchers to track sentence severity, to assess the impact of specific sentencing reforms on disparity and proportionality, and to evaluate the impact of significant policy changes and interstate variations on crime through the mechanisms of deterrence and incapacitation. Data are currently available on the size and characteristics of correctional programs and inmate populations, the movement and disposition of criminal cases in court, prison admissions and releases, local jails, correctional facility characteristics, probation and parole, county court systems, State court organizations, pretrial processing, and offender arrests. Studies based on descriptive sentencing data can inform discussions about potential sentencing reforms. Such studies can focus on characteristics of sentencing laws and recent or planned reforms; sentencing patterns by offense, prior record, and other characteristics of interest; time served; and characteristics of offender populations by conviction offense, prior record, race, and age. Descriptive studies can be useful in identifying potential problems and solutions related to sentencing reform. In addition, aggregate crime and sentencing data can be employed to test various hypotheses about the impact of sentencing on criminals and crime, particularly in the context of deterrence and incapacitation. In general, descriptive studies can be conducted to compare different sentencing laws and to assess the impact of sentencing commissions, the impact of mandatory sentencing and waiver laws, marginal incapacitation and deterrent effects, costs and benefits of alternative sentencing laws compared to other crime control options, the impact of imtermediate sanctions, and relative sentence severity. 10 references