Who Gets Released? Investigating Racial Patterns in Parole Outcomes for Life-Sentenced People

• In Event: Governing Life Sentences: The Role of Race and Discretion

Abstract

For over half a century, criminological research has highlighted the impact of racial/ethnic disparities in criminal justice processing and punishment. Yet, missing from this body of work are studies examining the effect of race and ethnicity in parole release decisions for individuals serving life sentences. This research will make a meaningful contribution to the study of people serving life sentences by addressing the clear gap in the literature and answering this question: how do race and ethnicity shape parole release decisions?

Authors

• Javier Ramos, Sam Houston State University

• Stuti Kokkalera, Sam Houston State University

• Beatriz Wronski, University of Texas at Tyler

• Victoria Rivera Laugalis, Loyola University New Orleans