Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
The Evolution Of Drug Laws In America And The Variation In Penalties And Sentencing In State Courts, Robert Christopher Hogenson
The Evolution Of Drug Laws In America And The Variation In Penalties And Sentencing In State Courts, Robert Christopher Hogenson
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to examine the evolution of major drug laws in the United States, the variation in statutory penalties between selected states, and to determine if the written law is reflected in sentencing and prison admissions. Penalties for felony possession and illicit trafficking for five states-Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, and New York---were compared with case disposition, incarceration rates, and average time offenders spend in jail or prison for these offenses. Two data sources from Bureau of Justice Statistics were utilized for this analysis. The first data set was titled "State Court Processing Statistics, 1990, 1992, 1994, …