Sentencing young minority males for drug offenses

Abstract

Using a random sample of Texas felony drug offenders sentenced during the height of the US War on Drugs, results from the present research show main and conditional effects of race/ethnicity, gender and age on sentence severity. The probability of receiving prison time was greater and sentences were longer for African Americans, African American males and African American males ages 22—30. The likelihood of going to prison was also higher for Hispanic males, and Hispanic males ages 31—40, but no differences were observed for sentence length. These findings generally support hypotheses that young minority males will pay a penalty cost at sentencing, and comport with recent research on drug sentences and the conditional effects of race/ethnicity, gender and age on sentencing.