During recent decades, sentencing patterns of offenders based on gender have been the topic of criminological and sociological research. Particular attention has been given to the lenient sentencing of female offenders compared to male offenders. Several research studies have found that gender affects the sentencing process in ways that are advantageous to female offenders, such as lower incarceration rates and shorter prison sentences. Despite the existing research on gender and sentencing, there are still several specific areas that need to be studied regarding this topic, such as property crimes and rural areas. The current research adds to the existing literature by using data collected from five rural counties in Iowa to examine sentencing patterns of nonviolent property crimes in rural areas. Contrary to existing literature, results found gender did not have an effect on the decision to incarcerate, the sentence length, or the fine amount.
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