Sentencing Disparities among Offenders: A Critical Policy Analysis in Sentencing Outcomes.

• In Event: Criminal Justice Policy

Abstract

African Americans remain overrepresented in the criminal justice system and this trend is even more salient among African American males. In fact, recent data suggests that black men are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white men and 2.5 times more likely than Hispanic men. While the data on race and sentencing outcomes are somewhat inconsistent, findings of several studies suggest that race, African American, ethnicity, age, and unemployment has led to harsher sentencing outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the direct, indirect, and interactive effects of race, ethnicity, gender and type of crime on sentencing severity using data on offenders in the City of Virginia Beach. Specifically, this study questions whether or not sentencing outcomes can be explained by differences in criminal behavior or are the sentencing disparities the result of how the criminal justice system treats black offenders? Policy implications are discussed.

Authors

• Carla Denise Miller, Shenandoah University

• Bernadette J. Holmes, Norfolk State University