The current study adds to the literature examining the effects of race, ethnicity, gender, and age on sentencing decisions. The results indicate that Black and male defendants were more likely to be incarcerated in jail as opposed to receiving a probation sentence than White and female defendants. When race, ethnicity, and gender interactions were considered, it appeared that the race effect was driven by Black males’ reduced likelihood to receive probation as opposed to jail. Black females were the least likely to be jailed. Age interactions revealed that being young disadvantaged Black males but advantaged other groups. The decision to incarcerate a defendant in jail versus prison was not significantly influenced by race, ethnicity, or gender. When sentence length was examined, Black males received significantly shorter jail sentences than all groups except Black females. When age was considered, Hispanic defendants 30–39 received longer jail sentences than almost every group.

No abstract

Drinking and driving poses a significant issue in the United States. Repeat offenders are especially problematic as they are responsible for a high proportion of all drunk driving offenses and are more likely to continue in their drinking and driving behaviors. This study examines the effectiveness of the Safe Streets Treatment Options Program (SSTOP) in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, to reduce recidivism among repeat offenders. The results indicate that participants of SSTOP had significantly fewer convictions, fewer subsequent sentences to incarceration, were sentenced to fewer days incarcerated in jail for subsequent offenses, and were less likely to receive another Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) conviction than those in the comparison group. Policy implications and directions for future research also are discussed.

Drug courts play a key role in the criminal justice system by diverting individuals from incarceration and providing them with resources to address substance use issues and reduce criminal recidivism. However, it is unclear whether drug courts reflect—or even exacerbate—preexisting racial/ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system. While prior literature has offered some insight into the influence of race and ethnicity on drug court success, much of the focus has been on outcomes (i.e., program completion and recidivism) rather than disparities at earlier stages (i.e., referral to admittance). The current study adds to this body of research by evaluating the Milwaukee County Adult Drug Treatment Court to examine whether racial/ethnic disparities exist at several stages of the drug court process: (1) referral to admittance, (2) likelihood of graduation, and (3) likelihood of recidivism. Results of the analyses determined racial/ethnic disparities in the likelihood of admission to the drug court, as well as the likelihood of graduation. There were no racial/ethnic disparities found in the likelihood of recidivism. The analyses also identified several additional variables that were influential in the likelihood of admission (risk score, prior record), likelihood of graduation (age, prior record, custody sanctions), and recidivism (drug court outcome).

This study examined the effectiveness of Students Talking it Over with Police (STOP) to improve youth’s perceptions of the police, perceptions of procedural justice, willingness to cooperate with police, willingness to file a police report, and knowledge about how to file a police report. An experimental design was employed in Racine, WI and St. Louis, MO and found that STOP was effective in improving perceptions of the police, perceptions of procedural justice, and willingness to cooperate with police in both locations; limited evidence was found in youth’s willingness to file and knowledge about how to file a police report. Analyses in St. Louis found that race/ethnicity and grade level were associated with knowledge about how to file a police report.