University Degree and Sentence Imposition In Criminal Courts. An Empirical Study.

Abstract

The paper shows that there is a correlation between education (university degree) and the subsequent sentencing received by the defendant in the Hungarian Criminal Courts. The empirical research undertaken within the Hungarian legal system has shown that sentencing by judges varies according to the level of education of the defendant. This scenario was compared to U.S. cases and U.S. empirical research that showed that certain characteristics of the defendant strongly affect the sentence received. This paper concludes that in both legal frameworks, ethnicity is a factor in sentencing but the level of education of the defendant had a greater influence. This paper addressed the issues from an academic (A. B. Professor of Comparative Law) and working legal (E.H. & E.N. Senior Hungarian High Court Judges) perspective.