The Impact of Offender’s Education on Prison Sentence Length in the Federal Courts

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

Empirical studies of extra-legal disparities in sentencing often include a defendant’s education level as a covariate of sentencing but with little discussion of how and why it might impact sentence severity. The current study seeks to fill this gap in the literature with a framework for and assessment of the empirical relationship between education level and length of imprisonment for federal defendants convicted and sentenced to prison. Findings suggest that the relationship is curvilinear, where defendants with high school degrees are treated most severely (versus those with less than a high school degree and those with some college or more). How these findings fit within theories of extra-legal disparities in sentencing as well as suggestions for future research will be discussed.

Author

• Doyun Koo, University of Cincinnati