Racial minorities and lower class persons are, relative to the general population, overrepresented in our courts, jails, and prisons. Conflict theory asserts that this empirical fact is a result of racial and class discrimination while functionalists claim minorities and less economically advantaged persons commit more crime and, therefore, are more likely to be prosecuted and punished. / This study measured the effect of race and class on five prosecution decisions and several in/out and length of punishment decisions. Some 125 past studies were categorized based on the specific prosecution or punishment measure employed. A host of methodological characteristics and measures of the findings of each study were coded and analyzed in a "meta-analysis" format to determine the overall level of race and class discrimination evidenced in past research. / The analysis of past studies revealed that, when the punishment measures were disaggregated, there was convincing evidence of race or class bias in specific decision points in the state's prosecution and punishment apparatus. The need for more studies with higher levels of methodological rigor was evident from summary statistics indicating the number of studies which have controlled for key variables, the number of cases sampled, etc. / An analysis of two jurisdictions in Florida was conducted in which five prosecution decisions, seven in/out punishment, and eight length of punishment measures were used. The punishment measures were further specified by whether they indicated sentencing to or time served in jail, incarceration, or prison. / Forty hypotheses emanating from conflict theory were empirically tested using two multivariate modeling techniques; probit (in/out decisions), and ordinary least squared regression (length of punishment measures). Ten of the forty hypotheses were supported with the data. Blacks and whites were equally likely to be prosecuted at five different stages. Blacks were significantly more likely to be punished (an "in" decision) in four of the seven probit models. Lower class persons were more likely to have charges pursued against them and to be prosecuted than upper class persons. Four hypotheses predicting an inverse relationship between class and punishment were supported, all of which involved in/out decisions. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-03, Section: A, page: 0751. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76055 |
| Contributors | BALES, WILLIAM DOUGLAS., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 259 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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