Faculty Publications

Race Differences In Felony Charging And Sentencing: Toward An Integration Of Decision-Making And Negotiation Models

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Journal of Crime and Justice

Volume

14

Issue

1

First Page

99

Last Page

122

Abstract

A sample of felony convictions in a state legal system was examined for racial differences in sentence lengths. A small but significant difference was observed, with black offenders receiving longer sentences. Much of the racial disparity appears to occur in the way legal charges are constructed from the factual elements of the offenses. Specifically, offense seriousness predicts final charges better for black than white offenders. The relationship between legal and extralegal variables is shown to be more complicated than is implied by either conflict or legalistic models of legal processing. © 1991, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Original Publication Date

1-1-1991

DOI of published version

10.1080/0735648X.1991.9721428

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