Attributions and Institutional Processing: How Focal Concerns Guide Decision-Making in the Juvenile Court

Harris, Alexes

doi:10.1007/s12552-009-9020-4

Cited by 47 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Although the findings are not always consistent with prior research or even the expectations driving the present study, they are consistent with a significant body of literature showing the continued presence of differential treatment contingent upon gender, race, and in some instances the combination of the two with justice outcomes (Bishop & Frazier, 1992;Freiburger & Burke, 2011;Graham & Lowery, 2004;Guevara et al, 2006Guevara et al, , 2011Harris, 2007Harris, , 2009Leiber et al, 2009;Leiber & Peck, in press;Pope & Feyerherm, 1992). Concomitantly, findings of outcomes involving both leniency and harshness for girls, Blacks, and Other minorities is also consistent with prior research (e.g., Bishop et al, 2010;Freiburger & Burke, 2011;Leiber & Mack, 2003;Moore & Padavic, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Gender, Race, and Juvenile Court Outcomes

Peck

Leiber

Brubaker

2013

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

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The intersectionality perspective suggests that the treatment of females and minority youth may be based on one's social location in terms of oppression and privilege. Applying this perspective to juvenile court outcomes and based on prior research, the current study attempts to understand the individual and joint effects of gender and race on the treatment of status offenders at two decisionmaking stages of the juvenile justice system. Results from juvenile court referrals in two mid-Atlantic states indicate that gender and race, both individually and in combination, impact case outcomes in terms of both severity and leniency. While results are not always in the anticipated direction, the findings reveal that gender and race still matter in the decision to receive a court referral at intake and whether to adjudicate status offenders.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Gender, Race, and Juvenile Court Outcomes

Peck

Leiber

Brubaker

2013

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

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“…Most sentencing studies in the contemporary era are grounded in the "focal concerns" perspective, which encompasses many ideas from the broader race literature on stereotypes, racial attitudes, and the link between perceptions of race and crime. Yet, few studies in the literature on race and sentencing get very close to measuring how or what judges, juries, or prosecutors actually think about defendants of different races, much less how such thoughts might shape their sanctioning decisions (see also Harris, 2009). …”

Section: Determining How/why Race Influences Sentencingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rachlinski et al, 2009;Sommers, 2007), quantitative coding and analysis of case narratives (Bridges & Steen, 1998), and rich qualitative research on how race-based focal concerns shape decisions (e.g. Eisenstein et al, 1988;Harris, 2009;Ulmer 1997). Several of the researchers with whom I spoke specifically identified a need for detailed surveys of criminal justice decision-makers, and they noted that this type of supplementary data would be especially valuable if paired with the more typical quantitative comparisons that predominate in the literature on race and sentencing.…”

Section: Enhancing Efforts For Detecting Racial Discrimination and Otmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reassessing and Redirecting Research on Race and Sentencing

2012

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Drawing on a systematic assessment of the accumulated empirical literature and interviews with 25 race and sentencing scholars, this paper argues that the standard approach adopted in research on race and sentencing in criminology is insufficient for addressing the key underlying questions that motivate this work, including whether, where, how, and why race may matter. In light of this assessment, the paper lays out some additional directions for empirical research in this area that would bolster the validity and reliability of our knowledge about how race shapes sentencing and enhance the policy relevance of this work.

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“…More recently though, a growing literature on racial differences in how juveniles experience different states of the justice system has appeared (Harris, 2009; Huizinga et al, 2007; Kirk, 2008; Leiber & Mack, 2003; Poe-Yamagata & Jones, 2000). …”

Section: Racial Disparities In Crime and Criminal Justicementioning

confidence: 99%

Racial Disparities in Early Criminal Justice Involvement

et al. 2009

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Criminologists have long reported the existence of racial disparity in the criminal justice system, but the important question is why. While some argue that observed differences are a consequence of more criminal behavior among minorities, the weight of the evidence indicates that this is but a partial explanation. In this paper we study data from a sample of juveniles to examine how racial differences in early police contact, and important social environments—family, school, and neighborhoods—affect later contact and arrests, controlling for self-reported delinquency. We find that early (in middle school) contact with police is an important predictor of later (high school) arrests. Also we found that, in addition to being male and living in a low-income family, children who have parents who have a history of arrest, who have experienced school disciplinary actions, who have delinquent peers, and who are in networks with deviant adults are more likely to have problems with law enforcement. These factors help to explain racial differences in police contacts and arrests.

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Attributions and Institutional Processing: How Focal Concerns Guide Decision-Making in the Juvenile Court

Cited by 47 publications

References 62 publications

Gender, Race, and Juvenile Court Outcomes

Gender, Race, and Juvenile Court Outcomes

Reassessing and Redirecting Research on Race and Sentencing

Racial Disparities in Early Criminal Justice Involvement

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