American Indians and Sentencing Disparity: An Arizona Test

• NCJ Number: 165969
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 24 Issue: 6 Dated: (1996) Pages: 549-561
• Author(s): A Alvarez; R D Bachman
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Previous version of article presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, 1993

Annotation

This study examined disparities in sentence length for American Indian and white inmates incarcerated in Arizona correctional facilities.

Abstract

Regression analyses were used to predict sentences received by American Indian and white inmates convicted of six crimes (homicide, sexual assault, robbery, assault, burglary, and larceny). After prior felony record and other demographic variables were controlled in crime-specific models, it was found that robbery and burglary were the only crimes for which American Indians received longer sentences than whites convicted of the same offense. White defendants received significantly longer sentences than American Indians in homicide cases. The defendant's prior felony record was the only variable that consistently increased the length of sentence received by defendants across all crime types. Findings are discussed and interpreted using various theoretical arguments. The authors highlight the need to conduct more crime-specific analyses to investigate discriminatory practices in processing and sentencing minority group members, especially American Indians who have been particularly underrepresented in the literature. 85 references, 4 notes, and 2 tables