NCJ Number
138859
Date Published
1989
Length
149 pages
Annotation
This dissertation introduces the open systems paradigm of organizational sociology to the study of sentencing, thereby providing a theoretical foundation to synthesize and extend the existing theories of sentencing.
Abstract
The first chapter criticizes previous theories of sentencing a closed rational system, a natural system, and a substantive political and natural system. The second section examines statistical models used previously to predict sentencing outcomes. The author tests these statistical models using data from cases in 72 Minnesota State courts; the data are aggregated and ordinary least squares estimation procedures are employed to determine which traditional sentencing model best predicts sentencing disposition and duration. The data are then disaggregated to analyze the impact of organizational and environmental dimensions of court contexts on sentencing systems. Finally, this study explores the components of court organizational structures to establish the relative importance of each in conditioning the effects of legal, social, and processing factors on sentencing outcomes. 10 tables, 12 appendixes, and 83 references.