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Effect of Legal and Extralegal Variables on Sentencing in Israel

NCJ Number
163783
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1996) Pages: 129-152
Author(s)
A Rattner
Date Published
1996
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Data from 2,175 felony cases involving males who were convicted in Israel in 1989 were used to examine the effects of legal and extralegal variables on prison sentencing among Jews and Arabs.
Abstract
The study's independent variables included the defendant's ethnic origin, age, type of offense, prior criminal conviction, marital status, and occupation. The dependent variable was the imposition of a prison sentence. The data were analyzed by means of logistic regression techniques. Results revealed that the probability that an Arab would be sentenced to prison increased with the offender's level of dangerousness. However, the effect was different for property offenses and violent offenses. Arab offenders with two prior felony convictions were almost twice as likely to be imprisoned as comparable Jewish offenders. However, no discrepancy occurred with property offenders with one prior conviction. Findings supported the idea that although Arab defendants are at higher risk of receiving a prison sentence, this conclusion cannot be made into a generalization. The findings and conclusions are consistent with previous research on racial and ethnic differences in sentencing. Tables, footnotes, and 45 references

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