NCJ Number
167979
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1997) Pages: 121-142
Date Published
1997
Length
22 pages
Annotation
A survey of a national random sample of 181 chief trial court judges revealed that State sentencing policies, court size, and degree of plea bargaining in court dockets were significant predictors of the estimated use of alternatives to incarceration by judges.
Abstract
These variables were important predictors of the willingness of judges to use alternatives to incarceration for specific groups of felons constituting significant proportions of State prison populations. Consistent with the latter finding, descriptive analysis further revealed that judges who perceived less use of alternatives to incarceration for felony offenders resided primarily in States with more crowded prisons. The authors conclude that greater use of sentencing alternatives to incarceration may reduce problems related to prison crowding and high incarceration costs but that a judge's ability to use these alternatives more frequently may be hindered by State sentencing policies designed to reduce judicial sentencing discretion. 40 references and 5 tables