NCJ Number
85397
Date Published
1981
Length
123 pages
Annotation
An analysis of official prison records on 743 male inmates from the period 1975-80 in Georgia found strong correlations between broken homes and low family income and delinquency. Based on a larger correctional data base, the study also concluded that the sentencing process was biased against blacks.
Abstract
This dissertation employed several analytical techniques ranging from contingency table analysis to a multiple classification analysis in examining major characteristics of criminal and delinquent individuals and explaining what factors most influenced criminal sentencing. It employed a correctional data base of 21,169 records as well as 743 (447 black and 266 white) matched subjects from these cases and juvenile records. Only 28 percent of the matched subjects had homes containing both natural parents. Moreover, black inmates were far more likely to come from homes where only one parent or neither parent was present. Most subjects, regardless of race, came from families where the income was substandard. Blacks tended to get shorter sentences for property crimes than whites, but slightly longer sentences for violent personal crimes. Additional analyses showed that being black, committing a violent crime, and having a previous record resulted in much harsher punishment than being white with the same background characteristics. The disproportionate numbers of blacks in Georgia prisons compared to the general population suggest that covert discrimination occurs in the criminal justice process prior to sentencing. Tables and approximately 70 references are included. The appendixes identify items included in prison records.