The Influence of Individual and Community Characteristics in Sentencing Practices

• In Event: Individual and Community Factors in Sentencing

Abstract

Using HLM, this paper examines the influence of defendant/case-level and community/county-level characteristics on the sentences imposed on convicted felons across Illinois' 102 counties. Defendant-level factors include demographic, criminal history, and current offense charge characteristics, while county-level variables include population characteristics, proxy measures of civic engagement, the extent and nature of crime, court workloads, proxy measures of probation effectiveness, drug treatment availability, and measures of prison utilization. The paper also discusses a number of innovative ways that prison utilization can be measured, and how these measures can enhance sentencing research as well as improve our understanding of sentencing policy and practice.

Authors

• David Olson, Loyola University Chicago

• Don Stemen, Loyola University Chicago