U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Library & Multimedia
 Thirty Years of Sentencing Reform: The Quest for a Racially Neutral Sentencing Process
NCJ Number
              185535

Author(s)
          Cassia C. Spohn, Criminal Justice 2000, Volume 3: Policies, Processes, and Decisions of the Criminal Justice System
Date Published

January 2000
Length
              75 pages
Annotation
              This essay aims to inform the debate on race, crime, and justice
by critically evaluating recent empirical research that has
examined the effect of race/ethnicity on sentence severity and by
searching for clues to the contexts or circumstances in which
race/ethnicity makes a difference.
Abstract
              Forty recent and methodologically sophisticated studies that have
investigated the linkages between race/ethnicity and sentence
severity are reviewed in this essay; included are 32 studies of
sentencing decisions in State courts and 8 studies of sentence
outcomes at the Federal level. The findings of these studies
suggest that race and ethnicity do play an important role in
contemporary sentencing decisions. Black and Hispanic offenders
-- particularly those who are young, male, or unemployed -- are
more likely than their white counterparts to be sentenced to
prison; in some jurisdictions, they also receive longer sentences
or differential benefits from guideline departures than do
similarly situated white offenders. There is evidence that other
categories of racial minorities also are singled out for harsher
sanctions. These include racial minority offenders convicted of
drug offenses, those who accumulate more serious prior criminal
records, those who victimize whites, or those who refuse to plead
guilty or are unable to secure pretrial release. Thus, this
review suggests that the "discrimination thesis" cannot be laid
to rest. 3 exhibits, 14 notes, 140 references, and appended
exhibit of the indirect and interaction effects found in studies
of race and sentencing
      
  
          Additional Details
Agencies
        NIJ
    
  
  
Date Published: January 1, 2000
    
          Downloads
        
                      PDF

Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              NIJ Journal
    
      
            
            
            
      Podcasts
    
      
            
            
            
      Publications Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Multimedia Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Software & Databases
    
      
            
            
            
      Datasets
    
      
            
            
            
      PatentsRelated Topics
        
                Mandatory sentencing
        Sentencing guidelines
        Publication/report
        Determinate sentencing
        Racial and Ethnic Disparities



  
Similar Publications
        
                      Gideon at 60: A Snapshot of State Public Defense Systems and Paths to System Reform
                  Scan of the Legal, Policy, and Practice Context and Considerations for Collecting Data on Guardianship Abuse and Fraud
                  Coping with incarceration: examining the longitudinal relationship between individual coping styles and mental health outcomes
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov