Are criminal courts more lenient on women?
…justice. Scholars have found that women receive shorter sentences for sex crimes than men. A 2014 study suggests that federal courts are more lenient on female defendants in general. They are less…
Criminal Justice
Research roundups, tip sheets, articles and explainers related to the topic of criminal justice
Expert Commentary
Pew report: The high cost, low return of longer prison terms
…served only 50% of their sentences; in 2009, they served 80% of their sentences. Florida (166%), Virginia (91%), and North Carolina (86%) had the largest percentage increases in time served…
Expert Commentary
Men’s facial features may sway criminal sentencing
More attractive men and those with baby-faced features are less likely to be incarcerated, a new study suggests. Men with facial scars are more likely to receive milder sentences. The…
Expert Commentary
The research on capital punishment: Recent scholarship and unresolved questions
…commuted the sentences of the remaining four prisoners on death row in that state. In 2013, Maryland became the 18th state to abolish the death penalty after Connecticut in 2012…
Expert Commentary
Department of Justice: Capital punishment, 2010 statistical tables
…both federal and state data on prisoner demographics, manner of execution, pardons or sentence commutations, and capital punishment trends over time. Study findings include: The number of new death sentences…
Expert Commentary
Length of incarceration and subsequent labor market outcomes
Longer prison sentences, the result of public policy shifts over the past 30 years, may effectively discourage crime and repeat offenders. However, increased lengths of incarceration may have significant implications…
Expert Commentary
Private prisons: Research, data and controversies
…under federal jurisdiction, and serving short sentences; and they employ officers that are disproportionately female and black or Hispanic. These results depict the private prison sector as distinct from its…
Expert Commentary
Greater transparency in death penalty decisions
…22 in Colorado and Delaware to 12 in Texas, Nebraska, Georgia and Montana. During the period 1996 to 2006, Texas led the nation in death sentences with 340; Florida was…
Expert Commentary
Right-to-carry laws: Revisiting the link between guns and violent crime
…workers — were the most effective, while “prosecutorial strategies” — harsher sentences and restricted bail opportunities — showed the least promise. Keywords: crime, law, guns, sex crimes, mental health…
Expert Commentary
The law and social science of stop-and-frisk tactics by the police
…serious crimes (measured by prison sentences of 1 year or longer). The same study also found that between 2004 and 2012, there were more than 2 million stops of African-Americans,…
Expert Commentary