Law, Order and Sentencing: A Study of Attitude in Action

Sentencing data are analyzed in a test of the hypothesis that judicial attitudes toward and interact with offender attributes to produce disparities in disposition. Although an interaction effect is observed, its form varies from common conception. Judges strongly favoring and sentence primarily on the basis of legal definitions of offense seriousness. Judges less concerned about the maintenance of law and order similarly emphasize offense seriousness, but are also influenced by the race, prior record, and number of charges against the offender. Most interestingly, these judges provide differential