Profiling Sentence Enhancement Offenders: A Case Study of Florida's 10-20-Lifers

Abstract

This study creates a profile of criminals incarcerated as 10-20-Life offenders and is the initial stage of a postimpact analysis of the statute. Data on all incarcerated 10-20-Life offenders (N = 1,065 as of November 1, 2001) were collected from the Florida Department of Corrections. The data included individual and criminal offense characteristics. The findings reveal that Florida's 10-20-Lifers are overwhelmingly male (96%) and one half are between the ages of 23 and 41. Eighty percent of the offenses were for felon in possession of a firearm or concealed weapon and robbery with a fire-arm or deadly weapon. Slightly over one half of the offenders were sentenced to a term of 3 years and the remaining were sentenced to 10 or more years. The average sentence received was 8 years. The average sentence length was significantly higher for Black offenders sentenced under 10-20-Life. Moreover, Black offenders received all nine of the life sentences.