Effects of Counsel on the Severity of Criminal Sentences - A Statistical Assessment

• NCJ Number: 95009
• Journal: Justice System Journal Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (1984) Pages: 87-101
• Author(s): D Willison
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Information on a sample of felony cases in Columbus, Ohio is used to estimate the effect of counsel (appointed or retained) on the relative severity of criminal sentences.

Abstract

Applying two multivariate statistical techniques, both the direct and indirect effects of counsel are isolated. Generally, the results reveal few systematic differences in sentence severity between types of counsel and provide further confirmatory evidence for the proposition that case and defendant-related variables -- not the identity of counsel -- are primarily responsible for the severity of criminal sentences. (Publisher abstract)