Law Commons^™

How Defendant Characteristics Affect Sentencing And Conviction In The Us, Payton Kuenzli

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research study analyzes whether or not there is any relationship between sentencing and conviction and certain defendant characteristics in the US legal system. In the midst of a time where the nation is strongly divided politically, the topic is often the center of research projects and discussions in academic journals. Specifically, this research explores the 3 characteristics- race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Within this article, multiple case studies from other journals are cited in which research and experiments have suggested that these factors do have influence on both whether or not a defendant gets convicted or for how long …

The Influence Of Extra-Legal Factors On The Sentencing Of Drug Offenders In A Determinant Sentencing State, Ramonsa D. White

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate how extralegal factors such as race, gender, and age influence judicial sentencing decisions. This research utilizes data collected by the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission for the fiscal years of July 1989 to July 1992. For the purpose o~ this study, only data specifically relating to drug convictions were analyzed.

Multivariate analyses were conducted to see if extralegal factors were significantly related to sentence length, whether or not offenders receive a prison sanction, and whether or not offenders receive the first time offender waiver. Analysis was done using both legal and extra-legal …