The Social Contexts of Racial Discrimination in Sentencing

The impact of race on the adjudication of sexual assault and other violent crimes

“…Research also showed that macrosocial variables (e.g., levels of poverty and unemployment, racial income gaps, divorce rates, occupational inequalities, etc.) could impact rates of sexual assault and homicide (see Baron & Straus, 1989;Brewer & Smith, 1995;Peterson & Bailey, 1988, 1992Smith & Bennett, 1985), as well as general sentencing and imprisonment practices (Michalowski & Pearson, 1990;Myers & Talarico, 1986). Future research should attempt to specify race effects within hierarchical models that can account for organizational and contextual variations across different jurisdictions.…”

Displaced discretion under Ohio sentencing guidelines

“…Scholars noted the importance of correcting sample biases inherent in these types of data (Klepper, Nagin, & Tierney, 1983;Myers & Talarico, 1986;Zatz & Hagan, 1985). All indicted suspects were included in the analyses of indictments on first or second-degree felonies, all charges dropped, and guilty pleas with agreements, but only those who pled guilty were included in the analyses of some dropped charges and charge reductions.…”

The sociology of law in the United States

“…There have also been studies of prosecutors and their screening decisions (see, e.g., Myers and Hagan, 1979;Stanko, 1981-82); defense attorneys and how they conduct their clients' cases (see, e.g., Sudnow, 1965;Blumberg, 1967;Rosenthal, 1974;Champion, 1989); and the process of plea bargaining (see, e.g., Newman, 1956;Buckle and Buckle, 1977;Mather, 1979;Maynard, 1984). There have been studies of courtrooms (see, e.g., Mileski, 1971;Feeley, 1979), of juries (see, e.g., Simon, 1980), and of sentencing decisions (see, e.g., Bowers and Pierce, 1980;LaFree, 1980;Myers and Talarico, 1986). Other research has examined the social dynamics of criminal corrections, including studies of probation departments, penal institutions, and parole boards (see, e.g., Sykes, 1956;Wheeler, 1961;McCleary, 1975;Bowker, 1977;Silberman, 1995).…”