Financial Dependents and Sentencing Outcomes in Federal District Courts: Variation by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex

2020 ◽  
pp. 088740342094393
Author(s):  
Alexander Testa ◽  
Richard D. Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Positive Association ◽  
Federal District ◽  
The United States ◽  
Family Characteristics ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Hispanic Male ◽  
Sentencing Outcomes

A voluminous literature has detailed disparities in punishment related to extra-legal characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and sex. However, less research has investigated the specific contexts and conditions under which disparities in punishment emerge. Specifically, limited research to date has examined whether family characteristics influence sentencing both directly, and in interaction with race, ethnicity, and sex. The current study investigates this question using data on federal criminal sentences from the United States Sentencing Commission for fiscal years 2015–2017. Findings demonstrate that providing support for dependents generally has a positive association with the likelihood of being incarcerated and overall sentence length. Moreover, the positive association between support for dependents and punishment severity is concentrated among Black male and Hispanic male defendants. Among minority females and White defendants, having dependents has either a negative or null association with sentencing outcomes. Findings are discussed in the context of contemporary theoretical perspectives of punishment.

scholarly journals Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Years of Potential Life Lost Attributable to COVID-19 in the United States: An Analysis of 45 States and the District of Columbia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2921
Author(s):  
Jay J. Xu ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Thomas R. Belin ◽  
Ronald S. Brookmeyer ◽  
Marc A. Suchard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
District Of Columbia ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Attributable Mortality ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Degree Of Association ◽  
Racial Ethnic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in the United States has disproportionately impacted communities of color across the country. Focusing on COVID-19-attributable mortality, we expand upon a national comparative analysis of years of potential life lost (YPLL) attributable to COVID-19 by race/ethnicity (Bassett et al., 2020), estimating percentages of total YPLL for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives, contrasting them with their respective percent population shares, as well as age-adjusted YPLL rate ratios—anchoring comparisons to non-Hispanic Whites—in each of 45 states and the District of Columbia using data from the National Center for Health Statistics as of 30 December 2020. Using a novel Monte Carlo simulation procedure to perform estimation, our results reveal substantial racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19-attributable YPLL across states, with a prevailing pattern of non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics experiencing disproportionately high and non-Hispanic Whites experiencing disproportionately low COVID-19-attributable YPLL. Furthermore, estimated disparities are generally more pronounced when measuring mortality in terms of YPLL compared to death counts, reflecting the greater intensity of the disparities at younger ages. We also find substantial state-to-state variability in the magnitudes of the estimated racial/ethnic disparities, suggesting that they are driven in large part by social determinants of health whose degree of association with race/ethnicity varies by state.

Federal Sentencing Guidelines and United States v. Booker: Social Context and Sentencing Disparity

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Nowacki
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
Sentencing Guidelines ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Federal Sentencing Guidelines ◽  
Federal Sentencing ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Sentencing Outcomes

The United States v. Booker decision rendered Federal Sentencing Guidelines advisory rather than mandatory. In the context of this decision, this study examines both the direct influence of aggregate-level political, community, and administrative variables on sentencing outcomes, and the way that such characteristics might contextualize individual-level predictors. Using multi-level regression techniques, this study examines the role of aggregate-level variables on sentence length decisions across four distinct time periods. Moreover, this article also examines whether aggregate-level variables condition the effects of race/ethnicity on sentencing outcomes. Whereas the direct effects of aggregate-level variables on sentencing outcomes are generally limited to political climate effects, there is evidence that political climate and other aggregate-level measures contextualize individual-level race/ethnicity effects. Future research should seek to better understand the specific mechanisms behind these relationships.

scholarly journals Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Years of Potential Life Lost Attributable to COVID-19 in the United States: An Analysis of 45 States and the District of Columbia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay J. Xu ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Thomas R. Belin ◽  
Ronald S. Brookmeyer ◽  
Marc A. Suchard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
District Of Columbia ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Attributable Mortality ◽  
Estimation Uncertainty ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Racial Ethnic

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in the United States has disproportionately impacted communities of color across the country. Focusing on COVID-19-attributable mortality, we expand upon a national comparative analysis of years of potential life lost (YPLL) attributable to COVID-19 by race/ethnicity (Bassett et al., 2020), estimating percentages of total YPLL for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives, contrasting them with their respective percent population shares, as well as age-adjusted YPLL rate ratios – anchoring comparisons to non-Hispanic Whites – in each of 45 states and the District of Columbia using data from the National Center for Health Statistics as of December 30, 2020. Using a novel Monte Carlo simulation procedure to quantify estimation uncertainty, our results reveal substantial racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19-attributable YPLL across states, with a prevailing pattern of non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics experiencing disproportionately high and non-Hispanic Whites experiencing disproportionately low COVID-19-attributable YPLL. Furthermore, observed disparities are generally more pronounced when measuring mortality in terms of YPLL compared to death counts, reflecting the greater intensity of the disparities at younger ages. We also find substantial state-to-state variability in the magnitudes of the estimated racial/ethnic disparities, suggesting that they are driven in large part by social determinants of health whose degree of association with race/ethnicity varies by state.

scholarly journals Alcohol-Related Deaths and Hospitalizations by Race, Gender, and Age in California

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Stahre ◽  
Michele Simon
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Excessive Alcohol ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Using Data

Introduction: Excessive alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States each year and responsible for about 10,000 deaths in California alone. In addition, excessive alcohol use is responsible for many hospitalizations due to injuries and illnesses. Alcohol consumption is known to differ by age, sex, and race/ethnicity and these consumption patterns can lead to differences in alcohol-related outcomes. Methods: Using data from a variety of sources, alcohol-attributable deaths and nonfatal hospitalizations for illnesses and injuries were calculated for California for the year 2006. Results: Excessive alcohol use resulted in over 10,000 deaths and 72,000 nonfatal hospitalizations in California. The majority of consequences (51%) were due to chronic illnesses associated with long-term excessive use of alcohol. Overall, males reported more deaths and nonfatal hospitalizations due to excessive alcohol use than women. Alcohol-attributable deaths and hospitalizations are more likely to occur among individuals aged 50-64 years for illnesses and individuals aged 20-34 years for injuries. Older individuals suffered from more chronic conditions such as alcoholic liver disease, while younger individuals were more likely to suffer from injuries, the most common being motor-vehicle traffic crashes. Significant differences in the rate of deaths and nonfatal hospitalizations by race/ethnicity were more common due to injuries and violence than chronic diseases. Conclusions: This study highlighted key findings of demographic differences in consequences suffered by excessive alcohol use in California. Continued efforts to better evaluate the contribution of alcohol to morbidity and mortality by demographic factors, especially by race and ethnicity, is warranted to prevent and reduce the harm associated with this behavior.

scholarly journals Why Does the Importance of Education for Health Differ across the United States?

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 237802311989954
Author(s):  
Blakelee R. Kemp ◽  
Jennifer Karas Montez
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Childhood Health ◽  
Tobacco Policies ◽  
Geographic Differences ◽  
Using Data

The positive association between educational attainment and adult health (“the gradient”) is stronger in some areas of the United States than in others. Explanations for the geographic pattern have not been rigorously investigated. Grounded in a contextual and life-course perspective, the aim of this study is to assess childhood circumstances (e.g., childhood health, compulsory schooling laws) and adult circumstances (e.g., wealth, lifestyles, economic policies) as potential explanations. Using data on U.S.-born adults aged 50 to 59 years at baseline ( n = 13,095) and followed for up to 16 years across the 1998 to 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, the authors examined how and why educational gradients in morbidity, functioning, and mortality vary across nine U.S. regions. The findings indicate that the gradient is stronger in some areas than others partly because of geographic differences in childhood socioeconomic conditions and health, but mostly because of geographic differences in adult circumstances such as wealth, lifestyles, and economic and tobacco policies.

Revisiting the Normal Crime and Liberation Hypotheses

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jawjeong Wu ◽  
Miriam A. DeLone
Keyword(s):  
Federal District ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
District Courts ◽  
Citizenship Status ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Liberation Hypothesis ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Primary Variable ◽  
Federal District Courts

The established sentencing scholarship focusing on race/ethnicity and sentencing disparity indicates that the effect of race/ethnicity on sentencing severity varies across offense types. However, it is not clear whether this argument holds true when race/ethnicity is replaced with offender citizenship status as the primary variable of interest. In light of the research gap, this study extends beyond the existing literature exclusively on race/ethnicity by investigating the nexus between citizenship status, offense types, and sentencing outcomes through the normal crime hypothesis and the liberation hypothesis. Using the Monitoring of Federal Criminal Sentences data that include information on all offenders sentenced in 17 federal district courts for fiscal years 2006–2008, the present study assesses the independent and interactive effects of citizenship status and offense types on the judicial sentence length decision. Findings reveal that although models fail to support the normal crime hypothesis, there is robust support for the liberation hypothesis.

Variation in Subjective Aging by Sexual Minority Status

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Barrett ◽  
Harry Barbee
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Minority ◽  
The United States ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Minority Status ◽  
Ordinary Least Square ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Ordinary Least Square Regression ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Subjective Aging

The past few decades have seen increased scholarly attention to gay and lesbian individuals' aging experiences; however, few studies examine differences in subjective aging by sexual minority status. We identify four perspectives on the association between sexual minority status and subjective aging—double jeopardy, crisis competence, gender interactive, and limited salience perspectives. We examine each perspective’s predictions using data from the first wave of Midlife in the United States (1995–1996; MIDUS). Ordinary least square regression models reveal strongest support for the limited salience perspective, suggesting that sexual minority status has weaker effects on subjective aging than do other social factors, such as age, health, and gender. However, some results provide support for the gender interactive perspective, positing that the effect of sexual minority status on subjective aging varies by gender. Our study provides an organizational framework of theoretical perspectives that can guide further examinations of variation in aging experiences by sexual minority status.

Sentencing Outcomes in U.S. District Courts

2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis W. Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
District Courts ◽  
Current Analysis ◽  
Focal Concerns ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Extralegal Factors ◽  
Focal Concerns Theory ◽  
Sentencing Outcomes

Numerous studies have examined the influence of offender characteristics on sentencing outcomes, yet little attention has been afforded to offenders’ educational attainment. The focal concerns theory provides reason to suspect that greater educational attainment may insulate offenders from the effects of criminal stereotypes linked to extralegal factors, including race/ethnicity, age, and sex. The current analysis employs a sample of 115,674 federal offenders to test this assumption on the in/out and sentence length decisions. Results of the in/out models demonstrate a general pattern where the effects of several extralegal factors (i.e., race, ethnicity, age, sex, and detention) are reduced, and in some cases fully moderated, by offenders’ educational attainment. This pattern, however, is not apparent during the sentence length decision.

scholarly journals Can You Ever Be Too Smart for Your Own Good? Comparing Linear and Nonlinear Effects of Cognitive Ability on Life Outcomes

2021 ◽  
pp. 174569162096412
Author(s):  
Matt I. Brown ◽  
Jonathan Wai ◽  
Christopher F. Chabris
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Nonlinear Effects ◽  
Popular Literature ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Null Effect ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Representative Cohort

Despite a long-standing expert consensus about the importance of cognitive ability for life outcomes, contrary views continue to proliferate in scholarly and popular literature. This divergence of beliefs presents an obstacle for evidence-based policymaking and decision-making in a variety of settings. One commonly held idea is that greater cognitive ability does not matter or is actually harmful beyond a certain point (sometimes stated as > 100 or 120 IQ points). We empirically tested these notions using data from four longitudinal, representative cohort studies comprising 48,558 participants in the United States and United Kingdom from 1957 to the present. We found that ability measured in youth has a positive association with most occupational, educational, health, and social outcomes later in life. Most effects were characterized by a moderate to strong linear trend or a practically null effect (mean R2 range = .002–.256). Nearly all nonlinear effects were practically insignificant in magnitude (mean incremental R2 = .001) or were not replicated across cohorts or survey waves. We found no support for any downside to higher ability and no evidence for a threshold beyond which greater scores cease to be beneficial. Thus, greater cognitive ability is generally advantageous—and virtually never detrimental.

Examining the Relationship between the Lethality Assessment/Domestic Violence High-risk Team Monitoring (LAP/DVHRT) Program and Prosecution Outcomes

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110283
Author(s):  
Kristin L. Anderson ◽  
Hannah Bryan ◽  
Alexis Martinez ◽  
Brandon Huston
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
Exact Matching ◽  
Full Sample ◽  
Lethal Violence ◽  
Using Data ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sentencing Outcomes

Lethality assessment (LAP) and team monitoring of high-risk offenders (DVHRT) are recent U.S. policy innovations designed to identify domestic violence offenders who are at high risk for perpetrating serious or lethal violence against their intimate partners. One goal of LAP/DVHRT is to increase offenders’ accountability for domestic violence within the legal system. This study examines associations between LAP/DVHRT and prosecution and sentencing outcomes using data on domestic violence offenses ( n = 88) involving 37 offenders monitored by a DVHRT and 51 nonmonitored comparison offenders who were identified as high risk on the LAP. We use logistic and OLS regression to estimate models of six prosecution and sentencing outcomes for the full sample and for a sample matched using the coarsened exact matching technique ( n = 73). Multivariate results indicate that when the treatment and comparison samples are matched and control variables are included in regression models, the LAP/DVHRT program is not associated with prosecution or conviction rates, number of charges, or bail amount. DVHRT monitoring is positively associated with sentence length in multivariate analysis and in models using the matched sample. Findings suggest that the LAP/DVHRT program increases offender accountability in the form of incapacitation at the sentencing stages.

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