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Disparity in sentence length has long been a topic of discussion (Spohn, 2009). Though most research is aimed at disparity due to race, few studies utilize sex as a focal point (Crow & Kunselman, 2009; Embry & Lyons, 2012; Gavin, 2014; Hartley, Kwak, Park & Min-Sik Lee, 2011; Hasset-Walker, Lateano, Di Benedetto, 2014; Messing, 2008; Steffensmeier, Ulmer & Kramer, 1998). The focus of this study is to examine the effect of sex on sentence length, controlling for characteristics derived from the evil woman hypothesis, chivalry hypothesis, and focal concerns theory, to discuss the potential paternalism of the criminal justice system, which may cause potential sentence disparities (Daly, 1989; Nagel & Hagen, 1983; Steffensmeir, Ulmer, & Kramer, 1998). The findings indicate that women always receive a reduced sentence compared to male offenders, regardless of the crime type of past criminal offenses. The statistically significant results indicate that there is a need to review the criminal justice system and implement new polices such as judicial review to help stymie the differing sentences given (Spohn, 2009). If not, offenders will continue to receive differing sentences, based solely on extra-legal factors, such as the sex of the offender. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Several factors which influenced the formation of an urban black community following the Civil War are examined in this study. Prior to the war, LaVilla, a suburb of Jacksonville, Florida, was sparsely populated by wealthy white families. At war's end, freedmen seeking shelter and work took advantage of the inexpensive housing and proximity to employment LaVilla offered and, by 1870, became the majority population. The years 1866 through 1887 have been chosen for this study because they demarcate LaVilla's inception on the one hand and, on the other, its disappearance as an independent entity. Local, state, and federal records have been utilized to better understand the freedmen's decision on where to settle, finding work, securing a home, and political participation. Although an integrated community, the focus of this study is on the role of blacks in community formation. During the first twenty years of freedom, the blacks who lived in LaVilla came to organize their community along two separate and distinct paths: the social and the political. The social dimension was segregated and articulated through social networks created by family, kinship, and friendship anchored in and strengthened by the church, school, and voluntary associations. In the context of urban growth and development, these social networks would mitigate the harsh realities of poverty, unemployment, and inadequate housing. The political dimension was integrated and afforded black males power and influence concerning the civic decisions of their community. Following annexation to Jacksonville in 1887, LaVilla's blacks were removed from the political arena and disjoined from the decision-making process. As a result, the freedmen came to rely solely on the social dimension of their community.

This thesis examines three groups of northern Methodists who made their way to north Florida during Reconstruction: northern white male Methodists, northern white female Methodists, and northern black male and female Methodists. It analyzes the ways in which these men and women confronted the differences they encountered in Florida‟s southern society as compared to their experiences living in a northern society. School catalogs, school reports, letters, and newspapers highlight the ways in which these northerners explained the culture and behaviors of southern freedmen and poor whites in Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Monticello. This study examines how these particular northern men and women present in Florida during Reconstruction applied elements of “the North” to their interactions with the freedmen and poor whites. Ultimately, it sheds light on northern Methodist middle class values in southern society