NCJ Number
130513
Date Published
1990
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Sentencing decisions are examined with respect to the role of numbers, preferences for particular numbers, and the relationship between sentencing decisions and public attitudes toward income inequality.
Abstract
Sentences are imposed in terms of quantities of time to be incarcerated, money to be paid, or other numbers. Analysis of the numbers used in sentencing shows that particular numbers predominate. Thus, prison sentences are generally imposed in numbers of months that are multiples of 3, 6, and 12, whereas fines and hours of services are imposed in multiples of 10. Leslie Wilkins has also suggested that a society's tolerance for income inequality parallels the variations in the severity of the punishments it imposes. Analysis of data on the degree of income inequality and punishments in the United States, Netherlands, and other countries supports this contention. Figures, table, and 35 references