Evaluating the Impact of Prior Record on Judges' Sentencing Decisions - A Seven-City Comparison

• NCJ Number: 104196
• Journal: Justice Quarterly Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1986) Pages: 389-407
• Author(s): S Welch; C Spohn
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 19 pages
• Grant Number(s): 84-IJ-CX-0035
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored

Annotation

There is much agreement among social scientists that the prior criminal records of defendants are important in explaining the sentences given by judges.

Abstract

That being so, it is crucial to control for prior record when examining sentence discrepancies, such as between black and white defendants. However, when examining sentencing patterns, a remarkable variety of indicators has been used to measure prior record. It is very likely that different measures of prior record have different relationships to sentencing. Only fragmentary evidence of these differential relationships has been offered, however. We will add to our knowledge about the efficacy of different measures of prior record by examining numerous measures and analyzing their relationships to sentences levied on black and white defendants. Data from seven cities will be used in the analysis in order to try to understand the variation that might exist in these relationships. (Publisher abstract)