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From Initial Appearance to Sentencing: Do Female Defendants Experience Disparate Treatment?

Author

Listed:
  • Goulette, Natalie
  • Wooldredge, John
  • Frank, James
  • Travis, Lawrence

Abstract

While various perspectives have been offered to explain why females might be treated more leniently by the court system than males, very few studies have investigated sex-based disparities at stages of case processing prior to sentencing. Therefore, we examine outcomes at pretrial release and sentencing and investigate for cumulative disadvantage across the criminal court system.

Suggested Citation

  • Goulette, Natalie & Wooldredge, John & Frank, James & Travis, Lawrence, 2015. "From Initial Appearance to Sentencing: Do Female Defendants Experience Disparate Treatment?," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 406-417.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:43:y:2015:i:5:p:406-417
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2015.07.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. S. Fernando Rodriguez & Theodore R. Curry & Gang Lee, 2006. "Gender Differences in Criminal Sentencing: Do Effects Vary Across Violent, Property, and Drug Offenses?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 87(2), pages 318-339, June.
    2. Steury, Ellen Hochstedler & Frank, Nancy, 1990. "Gender bias and pretrial release: More pieces of the puzzle," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 417-432.
    3. Griswold, David B., 1987. "Deviation from sentencing guidelines: The issue of unwarranted disparity," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 317-329.
    4. Mustard, David B, 2001. "Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Sentencing: Evidence from the U.S. Federal Courts," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 44(1), pages 285-314, April.
    5. Franklin, Cortney A. & Fearn, Noelle E., 2008. "Gender, race, and formal court decision-making outcomes: Chivalry/paternalism, conflict theory or gender conflict?," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 279-290, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Vebman, 2024. "Quantifying the Reliance of Black-Box Decision-Makers on Variables of Interest," Papers 2405.17225, arXiv.org.
    2. Wong, Jennifer S. & Lee, Chelsey, 2025. "Promoting disengagement: Effects of a gang intervention and exiting Program on negative police contacts," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    3. Crow, Matthew S. & Goulette, Natalie, 2022. "Judicial diversity and sentencing disparity across U.S. District Courts," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    4. Terranova, Victoria A. & Slepicka, Jessie, 2025. "Financial pretrial release and innovations in outcome measurement," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    5. St. Louis, Stacie, 2022. "Bail denied or bail too high? Disentangling cumulative disadvantage by pretrial detention type," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    6. Cadoff, Becca & Wolff, Kevin T. & Chauhan, Preeti, 2021. "Exploring variation in factors associated with increased likelihood of pretrial detention," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    7. Grodensky, Catherine A. & Silver, Ian A. & DeMichele, Matthew, 2025. "How much does criminal history contribute to racial differences in arraignment outcomes?," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

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