NCJ Number
130363
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1991) Pages: 59-83
Date Published
1991
Length
25 pages
Annotation
A sample of 108 women and 228 men convicted of felonies in Kentucky was studied to determine the effect of gender on sentencing. The legal and extralegal variables included in the study were race, prior offenses, charges, codefendants, children, marital status, employment status, and sentence.
Abstract
The findings suggest that the variables that predict sentence severity differ by sex, although there were no gross differences. Race affected sentence length for men, and employment status affected sentence length for women. Family status variables had weak and inconsistent associations on the sentences of female felons. Qualitative analysis of case reports revealed some evidence that sex differences in legal processing is due to the influence of patriarchal values and gender stereotypes. 5 tables, 45 references, and 1 appendix (Author abstract modified)