Cassia Spohn
Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University
Key Findings
- Judges and prosecutors contribute to disparity in sentencing lengths.
- Between judges, sentencing could vary by as much as 6.5 months.
- Between prosecutors, sentencing could vary by one year.
- Relationships between prosecutors and judges as well as district also impacted sentencing.
Description
In the article, “Federal Sentencing as a Complex Collaborative Process: Judges, Prosecutors, Judge-Prosecutor Dyads, and Disparity in Sentencing,” Spohn and her co-authors examine how individuals in the criminal justice process, primarily judges and prosecutors, contribute to variations in sentencing. The researchers conducted their research by collecting data from three U.S. district courts, in Minnesota, Nebraska and southern Iowa, which totaled 2,686 cases. The researchers identified the judge and prosecutors on each case and used this information to cross-analyze judges and prosecutors as well as their interactions on cases to determine variations in sentencing. The results showed that judges and prosecutors contribute to disparity in sentencing lengths. The data showed that between judges, sentencing could vary by as much as 6.5 months. Between prosecutors, sentencing could vary by one year. Relationships between prosecutors and judges as well as district also impacted sentencing. The authors note that this research has shown disparity in sentencing is not solely based on the offender and the case. The researchers call for more research in the field to better understand the courtroom dynamics.