An Assessment of Racial Disparities in Bail Amounts in Lancaster County, PA

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

Existing research suggests that there are racial disparities within the criminal justice system, specifically in offender outcomes in the areas of sentencing and imprisonment. Currently, however, there is a lack of concrete empirical data connecting racial disparities to bail amounts. In order to address this gap in research, we’ve examined bail amounts for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with information that we’ve gathered from criminal court dockets and summaries, for the year 2014. In our previous study, one of our most significant findings was the relationship between the defendant’s race and bail types. To develop this study further, we will examine extraneous factors that have become apparent to us during the preliminary analysis of our data. Variables that we assume to have an impact on race and bail are: violent versus non-violent crimes, seriousness of offense, and the gravity scores judges assign based on their risk assessments. Concrete evidence on trends and patterns in racial disparities in bail amounts have the potential to help further the dialogue on how best to improve criminal justice policy within our local communities and possibly engender larger scale implications.

Authors

• Abigail Jefferys, Millersville University

• Erin Lee, Millersville University