Carl E. Pope

The influence of social and legal factors on sentence dispositions: A preliminary analysis of offender-based transaction statistics

Abstract This study utilizes offender-based transaction statistics (OBTS) to examine sentence outcome in twelve California counties for a three-year period, 1969–1971. Included are a description of the transactional data base and an analysis of the sentencing process as an example of the many possible uses to which these data may be put. The age, race, sex, and previous criminal histories of felony defendants are considered with regard to sentence outcome and the length of both jail and probation commitments. Analysis encompasses dispositions occurring at both the lower (municipal) and superior court levels. The utility of examining sentence practices at different court levels and employing alternative indicators of severity is given support while the advantages to be gained by compiling criminal justice data on a transactional format is empirically demonstrated.

Patterns in burglary: An empirical examination of offense and offender characteristics

Abstract Key cluster analysis was used to examine the various characteristics of both burglars and burglaries to determine the existence and extent of any relationship between the offender and the incident. The data were gathered from six law enforcement agencies in California. Although some patterns were suggestive of a relationship between race, method of entry, and economic level of the burglarized location, no strong patterns could be found.

Race and Juvenile Court Dispositions An Examination of Initial Screening Decisions

Allegations of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system abound. Many theorists appear to accept such discrimination as a demonstrated fact. However, a review of research is not so conclusive; mixed results are apparent. The current analysis examines the relative impact of race and other social factors as compared to a set of legally relevant variables such as referral offense and referral source. The focus of the analysis is the processing of juveniles in California, in particular the decision at intake to release, handle informally, or handle case with a formal petition. The analysis indicates that the legally relevant set of variables has a greater impact on processing than race. Indeed, age of the juvenile has a greater impact on processing than race.

Postarrest Release Decisions An Empirical Examination of Social and Legal Criteria

This paper examines the influence of social and legal factors on postarrest decisions to release burglary arrestees prior to trial. The data were derived from a crime specific burglary program sponsored by the California Council on Criminal Justice during the period April 1972 to May 1973. Character istics of apprehended burglary offenders include such demographic informa tion as age, race, sex, number of crime partners involved in the incident, and the distance from the offenders residence to place of occurrence. Legal fac tors focus upon an offenders previous criminal history, including prior bur glary record, prior drug record, and the like. Applying the technique of pre dictive attribute analysis, the research focuses upon the importance of the above characteristics with regard to postarrest dispositions.

Confinement patterns in the Milwaukee County House of Correction: 1907–1965

Abstract This study examined the patterns of confinement within the Milwaukee County House of Correction for a sixty year period. The data represent summary statistics from annual reports for the years 1907 to 1965. The variables explored were: age, race, term of commitment, ethnicity, previous commitment, offense, and admissions to the House of Correction. The results indicated changes in the inmate population over time, with increases in the number of inmates, a trend toward older inmates, trends in both shorter and longer sentences, increases in the percentage of inmates committed for drunkenness, and increases in the percentage of nonwhites. Finally, the data revealed a sharp decrease in the number of foreign born commitments with a corresponding increase in the number of black inmates.

Sentence dispositions accorded assault and burglary offenders: An exploratory study in twelve California counties

Abstract This study using offender-based transaction statistics (OBTS) examined sentence dispositions accorded assault and burglary offenders in selected California counties. The data cover a three-year period (1969 to 1971), and include a number of social and legal factors frequently thought likely to influence sentence disposition. The age, race, sex, and criminal histories of these offender groups are considered in light of incarceration dispositions occurring at both municipal and superior court levels. Using the method of predictive attribute analysis, this study assesses the importance of social and legal factors in the probability of receiving an incarceration disposition.

Defining Morality A Note on the Regulation and Control of Nude Dancing in California Bars

The role of an administrative agency in attempting to suppress behavior which it deems to be morally objectionable is examined. Data were obtained by means of participant observation and a systematic examination of case records. The regulatory nature of the agency and its relationship to local law enforcement, the behavior (bottomless dancing), and the methods utilized by the agency to eliminate the behavior are examined. Relevant state and federal appellate court decisions are considered, followed by an analysis of the problems generated by the agencys attempt to regulate moral standards.

The Application of Dynamic-Analytic Techniques to Criminal Justice Planning and Evaluation

The general inadequacy of the sources of data in criminal justice for evaluation and planning has been apparent for some time. Among those factors which contribute to the inadequacy of much crime data are the following: (1) generally it is limited to one particular stage of criminal processing; (2) measurements are in the form of summary statistics; (3) it is specific to one agency in that each collects and reports its own summary tabulations; (4) the unit of count changes with different organizational structures. In sum, existing sources of data frequently measure only one temporal point and this fails to reflect the dynamic aspects of criminal processing. Similarly, many of the analytic techniques used for evaluation are static and do not reflect the dynamic aspect of the system. In light of such considerations, this paper explores the utility of various dynamic-analytic techniques in conjunction with longitudinal sources of data. The following include some of the more important implications for future ...

Book Review: Criminal Justice and Discretion: THE INVISIBLE JUSTICE SYSTEM : DISCRETION AND THE LA W. Edited by Burton Atkins and Mark Pogrebin. Cincinnati; Ohio: Anderson, 1978. Pp. 404

Atkins and Pogrebin’s The Invisible Justice System is a timely publication, in that academics and policy makers alike have become increasingly concerned with the manifestation of discretion at various stages of criminal processing. This is especially true with reference to sentencing decisions, with attention primarily focused upon the role of trial judges and, subsequently, that of parole boards. Writers such as Norval Morris, Leslie Wilkins, David Fogel, Andrew Von Hirsch and others have argued for a rethinking and some form of limitation on