scholarly journals Sentencing Disparities

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Model ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
The United States ◽  
Criminal History ◽  
District Courts ◽  
Case Processing ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
Trial Penalty ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Criminal justice stakeholders are strongly concerned with disparities in penalty outcomes. Disparities are problematic when they represent unfounded differences in sentences, an abuse of discretion, and/or potential discrimination based on sociodemographic characteristics. The Article presents an original empirical study that explores disparities in sentences at two levels: the individual case level and the regional level. More specifically, the study investigates upward departures in the United States’ federal sentencing system, which constitutes a guidelines-based structure. Upward departures carry unique consequences to individuals and their effects on the system as they lead to lengthier sentences, symbolically represent a dispute with the guidelines advice, and contribute to mass incarceration. Upward departures are discretionary to district courts and thus may lead to disparities in sentencing in which otherwise seemingly like offenders receive dissimilar sentences, in part because of the tendency of their assigned judges to depart upward (or not). The study utilizes a multilevel mixed model to test the effects of a host of explanatory factors on the issuance of upward departures at the case level and whether those same factors are significant at the group level-i.e., district courts-to determine the extent of variation across districts. The explanatory variables tested include legal factors (e.g., final offense level, criminal history, offense type), extralegal characteristics (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, citizenship), and case-processing variables (e.g., trial penalty, custody status). The results indicate that various legal and nonlegal factors are relevant in individual cases (representing individual differences) and signify that significant variations across district courts exist (confirming regional disparities). Implications of the significant findings for the justice system are explored.

Decomposing the Critical Components of Flash Drought Using the Standardized Evaporative Stress Ratio

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Basara ◽  
Stuart Edris ◽  
Jordan Christian ◽  
Bradley Illston ◽  
Eric Hunt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Stress Ratio ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rapid Intensification ◽  
The North ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Regional Reanalysis ◽  
Critical Components ◽  
The Individual

<p>Flash droughts occur rapidly (~1 month timescale) and have produced significant ecological, agricultural, and socioeconomical impacts. Recent advances in our understanding of flash droughts have resulted in methods to identify and quantify flash drought events and overall occurrence. However, while it is generally understood that flash drought consists of two critical components including (1) anomalous, rapid intensification and (2) the subsequent occurrence of drought, little work has been done to quantify the spatial and temporal occurrence of the individual components, their frequency of covariability, and null events. Thus, this study utilized the standardized evaporative stress ratio (SESR) method of flash drought identification applied to the North American Regional Reanalysis NARR) to quantify individual components of flash drought from 1979 – 2019. Individual case studies were examined and the the drought component was assessed using the United States Drought Monitor for 2010 – 2019.   Additionally, the flash component was assessed using results of previous flash drought studies. Further, the correlation coefficient and composite mean difference was calculated between the flash component and flash droughts identified to determine what regions, if any, experienced rapid intensification but did not fall into flash drought. The results yielded that SESR was able to represent the spatial coverage of drought well for regions east of the Rocky Mountains, with mixed success regarding the intensity of the drought events. The flash component tended to agree well with other flash drought studies though some differences existed especially for areas west of the Rocky Mountains which experience rapid intensification at high frequencies but did not achieve drought designations due to hyper-aridity.</p>

scholarly journals PSII-11 Comparison of multiple heat sources in the farrowing house: Effect on production and energy efficiency

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 232-233
Author(s):  
Karli J Lane ◽  
Kenneth J Stalder ◽  
Jay D Harmon ◽  
Locke A Karriker ◽  
Anna K Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Heat Source ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Heat Sources ◽  
Source Type ◽  
Production Values ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Lactation Duration

Abstract Pre-weaning mortality, currently 20% in the United States, continues to rise and has been estimated to cost $400 to $600 million annually. Creep heat accounts for 36% (125 watt heat lamps) of the estimated 685,000 kWh electrical subtotal used in a 3000 sow farm. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of heat source type on production and electrical usage in the farrowing house at the Iowa State University Allen E. Christian Swine Teaching Farm. Seven multiparous crossbred sows housed in farrowing stalls were randomly assigned to a heat source treatment; Baby Pig Heat Mat – Single 48 (Kane Manufacturing, Pleasant Hill, IA; MAT n = 4) or Hog Slat® Poly Heat Lamp Fixture (Hogslat, Newton Grove, NC; LAMP n = 3). LAMP was controlled via a thermostat and varied by height and MAT was controlled via Thermostat Programmable 1 Zone (Kane Manufacturing, Pleasant Hill, IA). Both heat sources were set at 32.2⁰C and this was confirmed using an infrared temperature gun. Kill-A-Watt EZ Meter P4460 were connected to the individual heat source for group lactation duration to measure kilowatt hours (kWh) and were read twice weekly. Piglets were weighed on D1 (farrowing = D0) and at weaning. Production data including pre-weaning mortality and piglet weight at weaning were analyzed using a mixed model with parity, room and covariate of litter birth weight being fixed effects and sow being random. There was no difference in production values, pre-weaning mortality (P > 0.63,MAT=11.11%, LAMP = 11.76%) and piglet weaning weight (P > 0.13, MAT = 5.30 ± 0.18 kg, LAMP = 5.99 ± 0.21 kg), due to heat source type. The MAT (LS Mean 11.59 ± 1.31 kWh) used 4.2 times less electricity than LAMP (LS Mean 57.30 ± 1.56 kWh) (P < 0.05). In conclusion, with no difference in production values heat mats controlled with a programmable thermostat can decrease the high energy needs in the farrowing house.

From Criminological Heterogeneity to Coherent Classes

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryanna Fox ◽  
Matt DeLisi
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
The United States ◽  
Criminal History ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Individual

Although juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) are a pressing topic among researchers and juvenile justice practitioners, empirically driven typologies of JSOs using U.S. data are lacking. Here, we develop the first statistical typology of male and female JSOs using data from the United States selected from a sample of 4,143 JSOs referred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Significant predictors of juvenile sex offending (age of criminal onset, criminal history, impulsivity, empathy, depression, psychosis, and childhood sexual abuse) derived from the literature were used as grouping covariates to develop a profile of male and female JSOs using a latent class analysis (LCA). Results of the LCA show four unique subtypes of male JSOs and two subtypes of female JSOs exist within the data. These groups had differential compositions for key features such as criminal history and onset, psychopathologies, empathy and impulsivity, and sexual abuse victimization. These differences may be critical toward developing more tailored and effective correctional and treatment responses that balance containment and therapeutic approaches depending on the individual needs of the JSOs based upon their profile. Other practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Setting Limits on Death: A View From the United States

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra H. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Individual

Assisted suicide is a tragic issue, one of those for which the tools of mere logic are inadequate and in which the power of the individual case is compelling and seductive but not necessarily clarifying. Meaningful dialogue is difficult. Persuasion is limited because the resolution of the issue, on a moral level, must be founded upon fundamental notions of what it means to be human, especially in the midst of suffering or disability or at the point of death.

scholarly journals Marriage in the Melting Pot: An evolutionary approach to European ancestry, homogamy and fertility in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Schahbasi ◽  
Susanne Huber ◽  
Martin Fieder
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Census Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Melting Pot ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Variance Explained

AbstractObjectiveTo understand marriage patterns, homogamy and fertility of women of European ancestry in the United States from an evolutionary perspective we aim to investigate if a prevalence for ancestral homogamy exists, the factors influencing a female preference for an ancestral homogamous vs. an heterogamous marriage, if an ancestral homogamous vs. heterogamous marriages influences fertility and if there is an inherted component of the tendency to marry homogamously vs. heterogamously. Furthermore we aim to determine the heritability of homogamous vs. heterogamous marriage behaviour.MethodsWe used the census data of 369,121 US women married only once and aged between 46 and 60 years, provided by IPUMS USA (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/). We used linear mixed models to determine associations of the probability of a homogamous vs. heterogamous marriage and the individual fertility of a women. We aimed to estimate the heritability (in our case genetic & parental environment) of marriage behaviour using a linear mixed model.ResultsWe found, that ancestral heterogamous marriages are more frequent (56.5%), compared to homogamous marriages (43.5%). Most of the variance in inter- ancestry marriage and fertility is explained by ancestry per se, followed by the ratio of individuals of a certain ancestral background in a county: the more individuals of a certain ancestry live in a county the lower is the tendency to marry someone of a different ancestral background. Furthermore we found that about 11.8% of the marriage behaviour is heritable. Being in a homogamous marriage as well as the income of the spouse are both significantly positively associated with the number of children a women has and the probability that a women has at least one child.DiscussionThe most important explaining factor (in terms of variance explained) for being in an ancestral homogamous vs. heterogamous marriage, for number of children, as well as childlessness is the ancestry of the women. Albeit we are not able to distinguish the genetic and social heritability on basis of our data, with a total value of 11.8% variance explained, only a small heritability for in-group vs, out-group marriage behaviour is indicated.

Shoulder Pain at Work: Causation Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Joel Weddington ◽  
Charles N. Brooks ◽  
Mark Melhorn ◽  
Christopher R. Brigham
Keyword(s):  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
Shoulder Injury ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Causation Analysis ◽  
Injury Causation ◽  
Relevant Factors

Abstract In most cases of shoulder injury at work, causation analysis is not clear-cut and requires detailed, thoughtful, and time-consuming causation analysis; traditionally, physicians have approached this in a cursory manner, often presenting their findings as an opinion. An established method of causation analysis using six steps is outlined in the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Guidelines and in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation, Second Edition, as follows: 1) collect evidence of disease; 2) collect epidemiological data; 3) collect evidence of exposure; 4) collect other relevant factors; 5) evaluate the validity of the evidence; and 6) write a report with evaluation and conclusions. Evaluators also should recognize that thresholds for causation vary by state and are based on specific statutes or case law. Three cases illustrate evidence-based causation analysis using the six steps and illustrate how examiners can form well-founded opinions about whether a given condition is work related, nonoccupational, or some combination of these. An evaluator's causal conclusions should be rational, should be consistent with the facts of the individual case and medical literature, and should cite pertinent references. The opinion should be stated “to a reasonable degree of medical probability,” on a “more-probable-than-not” basis, or using a suitable phrase that meets the legal threshold in the applicable jurisdiction.

Language in mental retardation: Individual and syndromic differences, and neurogenetic variation 1Based on a keynote presentation at the Third European Conference on Psychological Theory and Research in Mental Retardation, Geneva, September 1st, 2000.

2001 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean A. Rondal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Retardation ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Genetic Syndromes ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Keynote Presentation ◽  
Genetic Origins ◽  
The Sixties ◽  
The Individual

Predominantly non-etiological conceptions have dominated the field of mental retardation (MR) since the discovery of the genetic etiology of Down syndrome (DS) in the sixties. However, contemporary approaches are becoming more etiologically oriented. Important differences across MR syndromes of genetic origin are being documented, particularly in the cognition and language domains, differences not explicable in terms of psychometric level, motivation, or other dimensions. This paper highlights the major difficulties observed in the oral language development of individuals with genetic syndromes of mental retardation. The extent of inter- and within-syndrome variability are evaluated. Possible brain underpinnings of the behavioural differences are envisaged. Cases of atypically favourable language development in MR individuals are also summarized and explanatory variables discussed. It is suggested that differences in brain architectures, originating in neurological development and having genetic origins, may largely explain the syndromic as well as the individual within-syndrome variability documented. Lastly, the major implications of the above points for current debates about modularity and developmental connectionism are spelt out.

‘A Routh O’ Auld Nick-Nackets’ – the antiquarian collection of John Rae

2015 ◽  
Vol 36-37 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-183
Author(s):  
Paul Taylor
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Moral Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Representative Case ◽  
National Museums ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

John Rae, a Scottish antiquarian collector and spirit merchant, played a highly prominent role in the local natural history societies and exhibitions of nineteenth-century Aberdeen. While he modestly described his collection of archaeological lithics and other artefacts, principally drawn from Aberdeenshire but including some items from as far afield as the United States, as a mere ‘routh o’ auld nick-nackets' (abundance of old knick-knacks), a contemporary singled it out as ‘the best known in private hands' (Daily Free Press 4/5/91). After Rae's death, Glasgow Museums, National Museums Scotland, the University of Aberdeen Museum and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, as well as numerous individual private collectors, purchased items from the collection. Making use of historical and archive materials to explore the individual biography of Rae and his collection, this article examines how Rae's collecting and other antiquarian activities represent and mirror wider developments in both the ‘amateur’ antiquarianism carried out by Rae and his fellow collectors for reasons of self-improvement and moral education, and the ‘professional’ antiquarianism of the museums which purchased his artefacts. Considered in its wider nineteenth-century context, this is a representative case study of the early development of archaeology in the wider intellectual, scientific and social context of the era.

IMF Stabilization Programs, Policy Conduct and Macroeconomic Outcomes: A Case Study of Pakistan

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-62
Author(s):  
Nawaz A. Hakro ◽  
Wadho Waqar Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Current Account ◽  
Inflation Rate ◽  
Current Account Balance ◽  
Macroeconomic Policies ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Fiscal Balance ◽  
Macroeconomic Impacts ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Imf

This study is designed to assess the macroeconomic performance of fund-supported programs, and the sequencing and ordering of macroeconomic policies in the context of the Pakistan economy. The generalized evaluation estimator technique has been used to assess the macroeconomic impacts of the IMF supported programs. GDP growth, inflation rate, current account balance, fiscal balance and unemployment are used as the target variables in order to gauge economic performance during the program years. The vector of policy variables (that might have been adopted in the absence of programs) and the vector of foreign exogenous variables are also taken as explanatory variables in the model, so that the individual effect of the IMF supported programs could be assessed. The result suggests that as the IMF prescriptions were applied, the current account balance has worsened, the unemployment rate has significantly increased, and the inflation rate has increased during the years of fund-supported programs. Only the budget balance has shown signs of improvement. Furthermore an inadequate sequencing of reforms has contributed to the further worsening of the economic scenario during the program period.

Congress and the Political Expansion of the United States District Courts

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M.P. de Figueiredo ◽  
Gerald S. Gryski ◽  
Emerson H. Tiller ◽  
Gary Zuk
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Political ◽  
District Courts
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