NCJ Number
232407
Journal
Punishment and Society Volume: 12 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2010 Pages: 438-462
Date Published
October 2010
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of victim and offender race/ethnicity on sentencing decisions of not only African-Americans and Whites, but of Hispanics and assessed the results across a range of non-capital crimes.
Abstract
An extensive body of research shows that capital sentences tend to be more likely for Blacks who kill Whites, while more recent studies point to a higher likelihood of capital sentences for killers of White females. The present research broadens these areas of scholarship by including Hispanics and considering sentences for other types of violent crimes. Supporting theory are findings that longer sentences are meted out to offenders who victimize White females, and to Hispanic and African-American offenders who victimize Whites. These findings, however, are confined to homicide cases and absent from sexual assault and robbery cases. Contradicting predictions are longer sentences for offenders who victimized Hispanic females, which is observed for robbery as well as homicide. Implications for theory and future research are discussed. (Published Abstract) Tables, notes, and references