NCJ Number
125067
Journal
Science Volume: 247 Dated: (February, 1990) Pages: 812-816
Date Published
1990
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study analyzes possible discrimination in California sentencing practices for convicted felons and controls legitimate sentencing factors and other variables including conviction crime, criminal record, and demographic factors. The analyses focus on the sentencing or probation decision as well as the length of imprisonment term.
Abstract
The study analyzes data from the California Board of Prison Terms using different statistical models for the in/out decision and the length-of-term decision. The findings indicate that sentencing decisions in California are equitable with no evidence of discrimination in five of the six crime categories (assault, robbery, burglary, theft, and forgery). Latinos were more likely to be sentenced for drug crimes than other racial groups. There was no evidence of discrimination in length of sentences imposed. Furthermore, the study concludes that the other variables were not proxies for race nor indirectly lead to racially motivated decisions. The methods used here accurately predicted 80 percent of the sentencing outcomes; including offender race did not improve predictive accuracy. 6 tables, 10 references. (Author abstract modified)