NCJ Number
96783
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall 1984) Pages: 37-46
Date Published
1984
Length
10 pages
Annotation
To resolve some of the ambiguity and conflict found in existing research on factors influencing sentence severity, a comparative analysis of sentences (N=468) received from a full population sample of felony indictments (N=619) for four violent offenses was undertaken.
Abstract
Variable frequency distribution and correlation with several measures of severity were examined for all offenses (undifferentiated) and then for each specific crime category. Results indicated that undifferentiated analysis, which represents the approach most frequently used in sentencing research, obscured important correlations and yielded others that were not present within any specific crime category; correspondingly, a number of the significant correlations produced by crime-specific analysis were of greater strength. (Author abstract)