Using Propensity Score Analysis to Determine Whether Sentencing Disparities Exist Between US-Born and Foreign-Born Defendants

• In Event: Immigration and Sentencing

Abstract

Little research exists concerning sentencing disparities between US-born and foreign-born defendants - independent of citizenship. Additionally, the limited research concerning case disposition disparities in urban vs nonurban areas is nearly three decades old. Given the increasing importance of immigration issues, more research on criminal justice disparities based on foreign-birth status is necessary - in much the same way that previous sentencing research addressed racially-based disparities. Using New York case disposition data (2001-2014), this analysis will compare sentencing outcomes in the five New York City counties for US-born vs. foreign-born defendants with sentencing outcomes in four suburban New York counties for US-born vs. foreign-born defendants. These four suburban counties have large proportions of foreign born individuals - both according to Census population data and within the dataset. The comparison will use propensity score analysis to isolate the actual (if any) treatment effect (namely, being foreign-born) as well as to determine if this treatment effect varies in urban vs. nonurban areas.

Author

• Ruth Ann Moyer, University of Pennsylvania, Criminology