The Impact ofRace and Gender on Sentencing for Mississippi's Indigent Population

Abstract

This paper examines the question of racial and gender disparity in criminal sentencing in Mississippi. To isolate the impact of race and gender on sentencing, economic, individual, crime, county and court-specific intervening characteristics are considered in the context ofamultivariatemodel that,incorporates both the probabilitythat an individual is incarcerated as well as the length of the sentence. Results indicate that gender disparity is not present in Mississippi's criminal sentencing process, but racial disparity does exist (ZO).