Examining the Impact of Race and Ethnicity on the Sentencing of Juveniles in the Adult Court

• NCJ Number: 231139
• Journal: Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2010 Pages: 185-201
• Author(s): Kareen L. Jordan; Tina L. Freiburger
• Date Published: June 2010
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the effect of race and ethnicity on the sentences for juveniles.

Abstract

Several studies have examined the effects of race and ethnicity on the sentences of adult offenders in the criminal court. The findings of these studies often show that race and ethnicity influence defendants' sentencing outcomes. Few studies, however, have examined how race and ethnicity influence juvenile defendants sentenced in the adult criminal justice system. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to determine how race and ethnicity affect the sentences of juveniles, utilizing a national dataset of youth convicted of a felony in adult court. The findings suggest that race and ethnicity do impact the sentencing outcomes of convicted youthful offenders. In addition, the results suggest that the combination of race and other factors (i.e., interactions) has an effect on sentencing. Implications for subsequent research also are discussed. Tables, notes, and references (Published Abstract)