The conditional effects of victim and offender ethnicity and victim gender on sentences for non-capital cases

Abstract

An extensive body of research shows that capital sentences tend to be more likely for Blacks who kill Whites, while more recent studies point to a higher likelihood of capital sentences for killers of White females. The present research broadens these areas of scholarship by including Hispanics and considering sentences for other types of violent crimes. Supporting theory are findings that longer sentences are meted out to offenders who victimize White females, and to Hispanic and African American offenders who victimize Whites. These findings, however, are confined to homicide cases and absent from sexual assault and robbery cases. Contradicting predictions are longer sentences for offenders who victimized Hispanic females, which is observed for robbery as well as homicide. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.