Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

SAGE Journal User Guide

O’Neal, E. N., Tellis, K., & Spohn, C. (2015). Prosecuting Intimate Partner Sexual Assault: Legal and Extra-Legal Factors That Influence Charging Decisions. Violence Against Women, 21(10): 1237-1258.

Questions to consider:

1. The current research relies on police reports that reflect only cases that become known to law enforcement. Why does the author not regard this as a limitation?
2. Using the “uncertainty avoidance” perspective, “focal concern” perspective, and “perceptual shorthand” perspective, explain how these affect prosecutors’ charging decisions.
3. According to the author, what are the contributions of this article?

Koons-Witt, B. A., Sevigny, E. L., Burrow, J. D., & Hester, R. (2014). Gender and Sentencing Outcomes in South Carolina: Examining the Interactions With Race, Age, and Offense Type. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 25(3): 299-324.

Questions to consider:

1. Why does the current research choose sentencing practice in South Carolina as data to be analyzed?
2. If a man and a woman both commit a crime, will they face the same likelihood of incarceration and the same length of prison sentence when convicted for their crimes?
3. In the same situation as above, how about a Black woman and a White woman in South Carolina?

Franklin, T. W., & Fearn, N. E. (2015). Sentencing Asian Offenders in State Courts: The Influence of a Prevalent Stereotype. Crime & Delinquency, 61(1): 96-120.

Questions to consider:

1. According to “focal concerns” theory, what three factors shape judicial sentencing decision?
2. Why are Asians called “model minorities”?
3. How does the “focal concerns” theory apply to Asian minority in judicial sentencing decision?