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Evidence-Based Sentencing: The Science Of Sentencing Policy And Practice, Richard Redding
Evidence-Based Sentencing: The Science Of Sentencing Policy And Practice, Richard Redding
Richard E. Redding
Sentencing is where much of the action is in criminal practice, particularly since ninety percent or more of cases never go to trial but are settled through plea bargains. Acting within the constraints of applicable presumptive or mandatory sentencing guidelines, probation officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges typically rely on their instincts and experience to fashion a sentence based upon the information available about the offense and offender. But relying upon gut instinct and experience is no longer sufficient. It may even be unethical – a kind of sentencing malpractice that produces sentencing recommendations and decisions that are neither transparent …
The Effects Of Different Forms Of Risk Communication On Judicial Decision Making, Richard E. Redding, John Dolores
The Effects Of Different Forms Of Risk Communication On Judicial Decision Making, Richard E. Redding, John Dolores
Richard E. Redding
When mental health experts provide information to courts on the results of a risk assessment conducted on a defendant or patient, they engage in “risk communication.” We examined the effects of four different forms of risk communication (prediction, categorical, risk factors/risk management, or hybrid) on judges’ (n = 253) perceptions of risk assessment evidence introduced in a case where they must decide whether to release from the hospital an individual found not guilty by reason of insanity. Judges who received information in the risk factors/risk management form were more likely to release the patient than were those who received prediction …