Abstract

Unwarranted disparity taking place at the stage of prosecution has long been an interest for sentencing researchers. Research exploring the effect of offender race on prosecutorial decisions, however, has produced conflicting and inconclusive results. Some studies concluded that minority offenders faced more unfavorable outcomes than White offenders, whereas others found no significant impact of race/ethnicity in the prosecution process. Still others found a minority advantage. Given these inconsistencies, this research uses meta-analytic methodology to assess empirical findings from a body of scholarship that examined the relationship between race/ethnicity and prosecutorial outcomes. Analyses of homogeneity and moderator variables are also conducted to explore whether there are factors accounting for variability in effect sizes across studies. The result suggests that minority offenders face greater odds of being charged or fully prosecuted than White offenders. Moreover, several moderators, primarily methodologically relevant, account for variability across effect sizes.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.