An Examination of Race/Ethnicity and Country of Origin Effects on Carceral Punishment in Florida

• In Event: Intersectional Perspectives on Racialized Social Control

Abstract

There is vast empirical literature which suggests that the process and application of punishment in the United States is deeply rooted in socio-historic conceptions of race/ethnicity. However, few studies have examined nationality as an indicator of perceived criminal culpability, despite the fact that immigrants are often systemically disadvantaged within criminal justice institutions. The limited existing research on national origins and criminal sentencing has examined overall incarceration rates, while failing to account for contextual measures, comparing similar ethnic groups with different national origin, and fleshing out differences among crime types. Using unique administrative data from southern Florida during a four year period, this study examines case features, national origin, race/ethnicity, sentence length for various types of crimes. Factor analysis will be used to identify the underlining relationships between race/ethnicity, national origin, and criminal punishments. In doing so, this projects asks whether relationships exist between both the structural and social inequalities that are built into the sentencing processes.

Authors

• Roberto Cancio, University of Miami

• Nick Petersen, University of Miami

• Marisa Omori, University of Miami