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Sexual Stratification Hypothesis and Sexual Assault in Light of the Changing Conceptions of Race

NCJ Number
106003
Journal
Criminology Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1987) Pages: 153-173
Author(s)
A Walsh
Date Published
1987
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Recent research examining race-based sentencing has reported anomalous results. It has been argued by Kleck (1981) and Peterson and Hagan (1984) that these anomalies would not be perceived as such if there were a greater sensitivity to the changing conceptions of race in American society.
Abstract
This study performed a limited test of the sexual stratification hypothesis that asserts that various degrees of opprobrium are attached to sexual assaults depending upon the racial composition of the offender/victim dyad. Data for 436 felony sexual assaults in an Ohio county between 1978-1983 were used. Use of an additive model failed to show any significant differences in severity of penalties based on either victim or offender race. A race-specific model reveals that significantly harsher penalties were imposed on blacks who sexually assaulted whites than were imposed on blacks who assaulted blacks. The additive model suppresses this sentencing disparity because black-on-black assaults received the most lenient penalties, thus moving the black grand mean to one similar to the white grand mean. Thus, both differential leniency and harshness in sentencing are possible for blacks depending on the victim's race. 7 tables and 41 references. (Author abstract modified)