A comparison of the distribution of the types of sentences imposed on native American offenders and &ite offenders by the district courts o f a western state reveals that the native American offenders were more likely to receive sentences involving incarceration in the state prison and were less likely to receive sentences which would have allowed them pariiallj to esmpe stigmatization as a "convicted felon. '' I;he introduction of a number of test factors revealed that these ethnic differences in rhe sentence received could only slightly be exphined by ethnic differences in the kinds of offenses involved or in other differences in the legnl and personal backgmund characteristics of the offenders. A number of possible explanations of the discrepancies in the sentencing of native Americans and whites are suggested. However, regardless of the best explanation of these discrepancies, there are reasons to believe that these discrepancies in themselves may have mntributed to an increased probabiliw that the native American offenders would enguge in future criminal activity and that these offenders would continue to receive harsher sentences than would similnr nhite offenders. Abstract 0 INEQUALtTY IN THE TYPES

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