Journal article
The Impact of COVID-19 on Sentencing Practices
American journal of criminal justice : the journal of the Southern Criminal Justice Association, v 48(4), p921
Aug 2023
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted court operations across the country. In March and April of 2020 business-as-usual was upended and the entire court system was forced to respond in an unprecedented way. Using Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing data, we explore the impact that COVID-19 had on sentencing outcomes. Three distinct periods: pre-COVID-19, the onset of COVID-19 during which an emergency judicial order limited court operations, and a period after the order was lifted are defined to compare trends and assess differences. Utilizing the natural experiment created by the pandemic we present a descriptive and multivariate analysis of sentencing practices focused on racial disparities. The paper employs two theoretical frameworks (focal concerns and the liberation hypothesis) to motivate competing expectations regarding sentencing behavior and disparities.
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Details
- Title
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Sentencing Practices
- Creators
- Catherine Clare Strange - Drexel University, Criminology and Justice StudiesJordan ZvonkovichMatthew KleimanRhys Hester - Clemson University
- Publication Details
- American journal of criminal justice : the journal of the Southern Criminal Justice Association, v 48(4), p921
- Publisher
- Springer; NEW YORK
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Criminology and Justice Studies; Drexel University
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001040124500001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85166650781
- Other Identifier
- 991021861288904721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Criminology & Penology